Rookie guard Meleek Thomas scored 16 points in 19 minutes off the bench as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for a 127-125 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
Thomas had waited for his opportunity after not seeing the floor in Cleveland’s first two games, and his NBA debut proved worth the wait.
“It was on my mind I was going to be on my best version. Have a great showing, stand out and make sure people leaving the gym know my name,” said Thomas, the 34th overall pick in June’s NBA draft.
The 20-year-old came into the game for Peyton Watson with 5:53 remaining in the first quarter. He missed his first shot, a 28-foot 3-pointer from the right wing, before making a running layup with 3:39 left in the opening period. He finished the first half with 10 points, the most of any Cavaliers player at that point, after playing 10 minutes before the break.
Thomas went 6 of 10 from the field, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and added two rebounds and one steal. His 16 points were the second-most by a Cavaliers rookie in his debut off the bench. Brevin Knight scored 18 against Houston on Oct. 31, 1997, after being the 16th overall pick out of Stanford.
Strong start from a rookie
Thomas averaged 15.6 points and shot 41.6% from 3-point range at Arkansas last season. Before the draft, he drew comparisons to CJ McCollum, as both are 6-foot-3 guards and McCollum excelled from beyond the arc.
Donovan Mitchell, who led Cleveland with 25 points, praised the rookie’s performance.
“It is very rare to ride the coattails of a rookie riding into the half,” said the All-Star guard. “For him to be the spark in his first game of the year is not normal. He made some mistakes but they were aggressive. He was fearless and trying to impact the game.”
Coach Kenny Atkinson explained that he had not played Thomas against Philadelphia and Brooklyn because of matchup problems. He decided to see what Thomas could do against Minnesota, as the Cavaliers needed a third ball handler on the court to take pressure off Mitchell and James Harden.
Confidence built in preseason
Thomas’s confidence grew during preseason workouts with Harden and Mitchell. Mitchell said he had been impressed by the rookie’s work ethic from the start.
“His attention to detail defensively surprised me,” Mitchell said. “Offensively he makes shots. He’s trying and willing to learn. We definitely got lucky with him but he set a high precedent for himself.”
Thomas said the moment felt right.
“It was an amazing feeling. It was kind of everything I expected. I knew I had to stay ready and my moment will come. You can’t keep a star in the closet,” Thomas said.
Comeback in overtime
Cleveland trailed by 15 points in the first half before rallying in the third quarter and eventually securing the win in overtime. Thomas did not play in the final 9:35 of the game, but Mitchell credited the rookie for the victory.
Atkinson pointed to the club’s early belief in the young guard.
“In this league, you have to do it over and over. Since the day we drafted him we were bullish on him,” Atkinson said.