Cavs Summer League Player Reviews

Good evening CtB!

Now that Summer League is over for the Cavs, let’s take a look at the boys of summer individually as we move forward to training camp, a mere six weeks away… let’s dive right in!

Evan Mobley

Obviously all eyes were on the NBA debut of Evan Mobley, the third pick in the 2021 NBA draft. In his three games, Mobley showed everybody why he was such a tantalizing prospect coming out of USC. So what do Cavs’ fans have to look forward to as it pertains to Mobley? What jumps out immediately about Mobley is his impact on the defensive end. He came right out of the gate as an elite shot blocker (5.1% block rate, stats courtesy of realgm.com). The Cavs posted a championship level 102.0 defensive rating in the minutes Mobley was on the court. Mobley will have his NBA-ready defensive skills to lean on to secure his minutes on the floor.

Mobley also was able to demonstrate well above average offensive playmaking, posting a 17.7% assist rate in his three games this summer. Mobley’s assist rate would rank in the top quartile of NBA players, and is even more impressive considering he’s a big man with this type of anticipation and unselfishness. It would behoove the Cavs’ coaching staff to find ways to leverage Mobley’s passing ability into efficient offense, something that’s been missing all too often in the post-LeBron era.

Mobley won’t be without his struggles as he adjusts to life in the NBA. His inability to score despite leading the Summer League Cavs in usage rate (26.3%) was his most glaring weakness. To be fair to Mobley, there was clearly rookie jitters, bricking shots that he normally drains, as well as Cavs’ Summer League Head Coach JJ Outlaw’s ill advised playcalls for Mobley post touches in the game against the Houston Rockets. But once the Cavs’ coaching staff adjusted Mobley’s touches to the perimeter, he came alive especially in the game against the Orlando Magic. It will be a long process to get Mobley to play NBA quality offense, but the building blocks of a super star player are there if Mobley figures out how to find his shots.

Another aspect of the game Mobley will need to improve is his defensive rebounding. He posted a 14.9% defensive rebound rate, which is average for an NBA player, and surely below average for a seven footer such as Mobley. However, Mobley did show improvement in that area in his final Summer League game against the Pelicans. Also, Mobley posted a nearly elite 8.8% offensive rebound rate, so the ability to anticipate and hustle to the ball are there, it’s a matter of Mobley dedicating work to improve his strength and conditioning to take on the rigors of the NBA.

Isaac Okoro

Ice only played two games, but he demonstrated more growth scoring the ball, sporting an elite 66.1% true shooting percentage. One could also argue there was growth for Ice from a playmaking perspective, with a 14.7% assist rate, which is far above last season’s average of 9%. With Ice doing what the Cavs wanted to see, he left on a high note and it will be exciting to see what’s in store for his NBA sophomore season.

Lamar Stevens

While Stevens didn’t really show improvement with his ability to score, the Penn State product showed a much more rounded game in Summer League offensively. Stevens was able to display some playmaking (15.0% assist rate, nearly double last year’s season average of 8%), and top notch decision making, posting an obscenely low 2.7% turnover rate. The Cavs posted a 115.0 offensive rating in Summer League while Stevens was on the floor. There’s no question Stevens has some positive momentum as he heads into training camp to battle for a backup wing/small ball big man role.

Jaylen Hands

According to Chris Fedor of cleveland.com, Hands has the inside track over Matt Ryan and Trevon Bluiett for the second two way spot, which is somewhat puzzling given all of their Summer League performances and the obvious need for the Cavs to add competent jump shooters to one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA. While Hands did show excellent playmaking ability (30.5% assist rate), it didn’t actually lead to good team offense. The Cavs posted a ghastly 103.0 offensive rating while Hands was on the floor.

Now to be fair to Hands, he played a lot of minutes with the backups, who aren’t NBA quality players. Also, the ability to get into the paint off the dribble and create is a highly prized NBA skill, which Hands seemed to show in spurts. More than anything, it seems as though the Cavs simply think there are better odds that Hands will hit based on his basketball recruiting reputation (a former five star recruit, ranked ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and one spot behind Trae Young in the 2017 RSCI class) and his age (22 years old, two years younger than Ryan and five years younger than Bluiett).

Trevon Bluiett

Besides Matt Ryan, the former Xavier University star should be the real story of Cavs’ Summer League, with his ability to knock down the three (43.8% on over six attempts per game) as well as make good decisions with the ball (14.3% assist rate, 8.6% turnover rate). The Cavs turned in a 126.0 offensive rating while he was on the floor. Bluiett’s lack of athleticism shows up on the defensive end, but he knows where to be. The Cavs need shooting desperately, maybe Bluiett can provide some competition on the margins of the roster.

Matt Ryan

Along with Bluiett, basketball Matt Ryan was a three point sniper (48.1% on nearly seven attempts per game) for the Cavs’ Summer League. And while he wasn’t the playmaker Bluiett was on offense, Ryan showed he can actually play some defense, with a 2.1% steal rate and 16.1% defensive rebound rate. There’s no reason why Ryan couldn’t compete against the likes of Mfiondu Kabengele or Brodric Thomas with the shooting Ryan brings.

Mfiondu Kabengele and Brodric Thomas

Both Kabengele and Thomas played tough, active, NBA quality defense in Summer League, but both guys struggled to produce anything on the offensive end. The most puzzling thing about both Kabengele and Thomas is that they arguably took a step back in Summer League. Kabengele was a turnover machine (16.1% turnover rate) and Thomas couldn’t buy a bucket (.426 TS%). Fedor claimed that Thomas’ being one of the two ways was a forgone conclusion, which is a questionable decision given his redundancy with Lamar Stevens. Why not take a shot with Ryan or Bluiett for some shooting?

And… that’s a wrap for the Summer League Player Reviews! The NBA has scheduled the start of training camps on September 28th.