Summer League Recap: Cavs 94, Hawks 90
2022-07-16The Cavs close out their Las Vegas circuit on a two game win streak, taking out the Atlanta Hawks 94-90 in spite of being without their rookie lottery pick Ochai Agbaji. The Cavs won the rebound battle 41-34 and were methodical on offense. Let’s dive in one more time for the summer…
1. RJ Nembhard completes a solid summer
The TCU product completed a 15/4/4 stat line this summer on solid shooting efficiency (47.5% from the field, 36.4% from three). He solidified his place as a worthy two-way guard for the Cavs by being the best player on the court for much of the time in Vegas. Can he actually make the leap to stick in the NBA? Time will tell but he seems to have all the tools: solid length and strength, shooting, passing, rebounding and defending. The biggest thing he needs to focus on is the defensive end. The intensity wasn’t always there, but certainly there the last two games. Check out this two way playmaking:
🎥 RJ Nembhard Jr. gets the steal and powers it down 💥 pic.twitter.com/V5p3nnofqh
— NBA (@NBA) July 16, 2022
2. Isaiah “the Closer” Mobley
Evan’s brother put together probably his best game of the summer with a 15/10/4 double double statline, and was the driving force to close this game out with a win, staving off a furious fourth quarter run by the Hawks. He just had a knack for making winning plays under the most pressure, so it must run in the family! Even more impressive was his postgame interview, in which he displayed a lot of humility and self-awareness. He can rebound and pass, he just needs to figure out his spots to score on the court.
Isaiah Mobley showing off the clutch genes 🧬
Back-to-back late game buckets to seal the deal. pic.twitter.com/nF58uHA4FY
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 16, 2022
3. Travers finally lets it go
It’s been clear throughout the summer that Luke Travers knows how to play the game. The two questions about him have been whether he can actually be an offensive threat, and whether he could handle NBA physicality. He needs work in both departments, but he showed improvement today in both arenas making two 3-pointers and collecting five rebounds. He took six 3-point attempts, which is a great indication he’s learning what his role is on offense. He might just might have a future in the NBA, but he better figure out his jumper if he wants to stay.
4. Cam Young’s mixed bag
One of the guys to watch this summer was Cam Young, and it’s easy to see why he’s getting a shot to make the NBA. He can get to the rim at will, and he’s an extremely smart player who’s got great length and makes an impact on the defensive end. But there are obvious glaring holes to his game, namely his jumper. He just never found comfort on the floor with his jump shot. He had to play an off-ball role a lot, which may have negatively affected him. But either way, he’s got to shoot with confidence. Secondly, he does not get any rebounds, which is inexcusable with his length and athleticism. He did shoot nearly 90% from the free throw line, so the technique is there. And hustling to the ball is easy to do… I will be rooting for him for the future.
5. Surprise of the Summer: Amar Sylla
Amar Sylla did a great job of putting his name on the map this summer in Vegas. He’s a fantastic finisher at the rim and can make plays on defense. He even demonstrated some shooting form on occasion. He needs to improve his rebounding and he needs to foul less. But there’s definitely some NBA traits there if he can sure up the weaker parts of his game.
6. Final thought
That’s a wrap for Cavs’ Summer League action. Overall the Cavs definitely finished strong and Ochai Agbaji looked like a legit three point shooter. The second rounders played their best during their last game. That should give every fan good vibes heading into the fall. GO CAVS!
new post up
Maybe Kareen best O ever, Bill best D ever, MJ+LBJ tied for best overall ever.
Bill Russell passed today. Not a Celtics fan but Russell is top 3 (Kareem, MJ) for me. World Class high jumper. Back to back national titles at San Francisco while averaging 20/20 over 3 years. Left school on a 50+ game active winning streak. Captained and led the US in scoring as we won the gold medal in 1956, and with the largest margin of victory in Olympic history (more than any dream team). Won 11 titles in 13 seasons in Boston. 12 Finals. 5 MVPs. MVP in first full season (missed time due to Olympic participation his rookie year).… Read more »
may his life and legacy inspire a new generation, RIP
Gotta be honest, I have never seen a 3X3 game of basketball. Tuned in to the Commonwealth Games basketball comp (I get that this will not be high on the watch list of US peeps) and have found that it’s all 3X3, with no normal game format.
If I could be bothered looking for an appropriate GIF of someone screaming with their hair on fire…
LMFAOOOOo
Wojbomb
Love Delly. He provided some all time Cavs highlights. I would love to have a poster of the “footlock” event.
I would guess the Kings would be the least attractive place for a FA to sign, after the Lakers. Maybe the Nets would be worse (KI, BS, KD), although they have a remote chance of making a deep run.
What other teams would be a major bummer to play for? My top three:
Good for him.
Particularly enjoying the Delly-pwning-Curry memes that have all surfaced again.
that’s a pretty crazy story
LeBron $44.5 mil.
Via the 125% rule, we’d have to send out around $36 mil to make the trade work.
LeVert: $18.8
Big Finnish: $16.5
Sexton: $13 (projected)
Cedi: $7.4 mil
Windler: $4.0 mil
The Lakers are gonna suck again. They won’t sell the future for a small shot at contention.
I bet Bron moves on.
could be. if so, Cavs are a likely spot. then we would argue if we want him or not!
LeBron might be able to make the Lakers trade him for whatever. say, LaVert, Sexton, and Cedi.
The Lakers didn’t give up anything to get him. .
RICH PAUL HAS BEEN MORE OF A NEMISIS THAN THE CELTICS —GGF
Yeah, he is trying to be the Scott Boras of Basketball, and get all his clients way overpaid. Can’t blame him, he is doing it to everyone.
Koby just has to stand strong and not get bullied. In this case, that should be easy.
just checked the wikipedia on RP — he grew up a couple blocks from where I did.
Sexton/Rich Paul running to Shams to say they may hold out.
Every day that passes, I want him gone more and more.
In the Athletic.
let him hold out. no one will care.
He should just take the QO. No idea why he’s not.
If I were YB, would take the lower # Cavs are willing to offer now on a multi-year deal with a player option — say $45mil for 3 years with player option after 2. Insure yourself against injury or some unforeseen turn of events that could lead to a bag fumble. Then play lights out for two years and get your big contract at age 25 or 26.
Yep. Hope the hold-out talk blows over for Colin’s sake honestly, does him no good whatsoever. The Cavs will just shrug. He could not be in a worse spot leverage wise.
Playing ultra hard ball does more good for the agent than the player. It might help with the agent’s other players, but it might screw the player.
For example, Nerlens Noel has sued Rich Paul because Paul turned down a $70M contract for Noel to play a hardball game, which ended with Noel getting $12M.
https://theathletic.com/news/knicks-nerlens-noel-sues-agent-rich-paul-alleges-58-million-in-lost-earnings/5iMVNZvw03BY/
All of this noise is just business and has no reflection on YB or his work ethic and dedication to the Cavs and Cleveland — which has been beyond reproach. Yes, he’s always been ball-dominant and score-first… on teams that sucked *ss and had nobody else who could get buckets. I have zero doubt that he’s smart and versatile enough to adapt to what the Cavs are now. Bring him back with open arms and let him and Caris compete for the off-ball scoring option. Trade whoever loses mid-season. Win title (OK, win a playoff series or two).
good points.
Kind of shocked Nets turned down Boston. Can’t imagine them getting a much better return than Brown. Would also love Durant on the Celtics. Potential for fantastic hate watching and would love to watch him deal with awful Boston fans/media first time they lose 3 in a row.
I don’t think they want to trade. They want to convince KD to stay. Like the Lakers did with Kobe. Their title window closes the moment he leaves.
So they must be seen to be trying to trade him, even though they don’t want to. Only a super lopsided trade in their favor will be accepted. Which no contender can make. And makes no sense for a non-contender, as KD will just flake or be too old by the timeyou build out around him.
Just a nitpick, but every national article about Sexton refers to him specifically as a point guard. CBS article says Garland supplanted him as the lead guard last year. I don’t think Sexton has played a minute of PG since his first season. Garland has been the starting PG since he stepped on the court 3 years ago. How can they get this basic stuff so wrong?
According to basketball reference, they actually have him as playing PG 100% of the time his first two years in the NBA, including DG’s rookie year and 42% of the time during DG’s sophomore year.
Also, Klutch markets him as a PG and judging by how many times he doesn’t run the court begging for the ball in the backcourt instead, he thinks he’s a PG LMFAOOOO
Huh I guess my memory is betraying me. Did Cavs really play DG off ball that much early?
I think it was happenstance and not by design. Sexton makes a concerted effort to dominate the ball from day 1 with the Cavs… he’s never had anything below 2nd option usage his entire tenure here.
The numbers can be understood by the concept of “ball hog”.
according to NBA tracking data, Sexton led the team in touches his first two years in the NBA, tied with DG for most touches his third year, and got reduced touches last year.
BBREF gets it wrong sometimes, too. But here, I think they are close to correct. YB played a LOT of PG early on. It was not 100% in year 2, but a clear majority. DG was coming off injury, and his shooting was deemed more valuable as an off ball threat than YBs.
On the other side, there were Delly/YB lineups where Sexton was clearly the 2 guard. And DG did play point sometimes.
posted in February this year, notice the position…
Klutch will spin it CS as a PG to minimize what a weak defender he is, and attempt to maximize any contract.
If he actually had any PG skills to complement his shooting, he would be pretty good.
The disconnect between public opinion & reality regarding Sexton’s abilities is … quite something.
Lots of fans of other teams think he’s awesome and the Cavs are lowballing him. I understand that, those fans barely have seen him play. It’s not like the Cavs have been on national tv. What I don’t understand is the many Cavs fans thinking the same thing. Some of those Cavs fans are idiots, yes, but not all of them.
Yes, it’s the Cavs fans stanning him I am befuddled by. Seems like the majority.
It is dumb, but easy to understand: The YB upside (he is fun, fun to watch, gives it his all, nice guy, looks good, has great hair, puts up big numbers) are easy to see, so he ought to be a fan favorite. The YB downside (bad A/T ratio, can’t cover anyone in a phone booth, bad +/-) aren’t apparent to the casual fan. A big question is if he understands the big picture and has the will and/or ability to improve his weaknesses. his future is very iffy: YB might develop into an excellent NBA player. I hope so.… Read more »
I’m sure all those reasons are accurate, but I really hate the emotional thinking from those fanboys. I don’t care about Dan Gilbert’s money in the least, but the Cavs have to try to build around some promising players within the confines of a salary cap. They have a big contract to give to Mobley before long. The Cavs aren’t ‘lowballing’ Sexton to be big meanies, they don’t want to go into the tax next year (and shouldn’t) for a team that’s not going to win a title, barring a miracle. There may be a team/ teams willing to pay… Read more »
Woj called Jaylen Brown a forward today. Apparently not noticing he started at guard for a team that went to the Finals last year. And was an all-star guard.
Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford, Williams.
Another one where BBRF agrees and has him at 47% SF, 45% SG, 2% PF
He plays SF a lot, no doubt. When Smart + Pritchard/White are in the backcourt, or they only go 1 big.
I’d call him a wing. I certainly wouldn’t call a guy who plays 45% of his minutes at SG a forward.
If some team signs Sexton as a ‘PG’ either this year or next year, they are in for an unpleasant surprise.
needs to work on keeping that dribble low to the ground, but that jumper looking fantastic
I know Stevens can play one end of the court, and guard 2-4 many nights. Plus, he’s a Dawg. If he can become a willing 3PT shooter and hit 33%-35%, he is a guy the can play in the POs. And is a winning player.
I’d keep present Stevens over Windler. And hypothetical Stevens over Cedi, LeVert, and Sexton.
AGREE WITH YOU NATE ON “THAT DIP ” WHICH IS HUGE WHEN NBA PLAYERS ARE CLOSING OUT —–DIFFERENCE IN GETTING A CLEAN SHOT OFF OR A DEFENDED// ALTERED OR BLOCKED SHOT AND AGREE THE ‘POWER UP ” PROMOTES A SMOOTHER HIGHER ARCING SHOT AND PROMOTES A MORE CONSISTENT FOLLOW THRU ——GOOD OBSERVATIONS BOTH YOU AND CLF ——YOU ARE BOTH HIRED AT MY ” SUMMER SHOOTING CLINICS ” !! :-) ………JUST REMEMBER TO BRING …….” MORE BEER PLEASE ” !!
LMFAO you have a deal NOMAD!!!
Footwork is better, but Stevens still seems sloppy WRT to oob and foot placement. Hes not twisting with his legs akimbo though, and his arm position seems much better and his release is faster. He also dips slightly (not like Mobley) after catch when he should be in shooting crouch on catch and power up through. Touch looks better but he needs to check his feet every time he positions in corner.
AGREE WITH YOU CLF—CORRECT THE PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY—–DEVELOP POSITIVE MUSCLE MEMORY —-ONLY TRUE WAY OF CHANGING//– DO IT CORRECTLY ALL THE TIME ——USED TO DO A SHOOTING DRILL —KIDS WOULD BE 2 ‘ AWAY FROM THE BASKET —-1 HANDED SHOTS// TEACH TO ” BEND AND EXTEND ” –ALSO HAD THEM CLOSE THERE EYES SO THEY COULD ” SEE ( IN THEIR HEAD ) AND FEEL THE SHOT ‘ HELPS TO INCORPORATE THE POSITIVE MUSCLE MEMORY EVEN BETTER// QUICKER !!——–THAT IS WHY I CAN DRINK …….” MORE BEER PLEASE ” WITH MY EYES CLOSED—- AND YES I HAVE GREAT POSITVE ‘MUSCLE MEMORY… Read more »
LMFAOOO that’s right NOMAD!
As for fixing the arc on the shot, guys usually have a defender with a paddle raised in the air, simulating a contest… don’t know why Stevens doesn’t have a guy doing that for him.
MAYBE IT IS JUST ME BUT IT APPEARS AFTER ABOUT THE 7TH SHOT—WHEN THE LEGS ARE GETTING A LITTLE FATIGUED THE ARC// ARCH ON HIS LUMPER DROPS A COUPLE OF FEET SHOOTING A MORE ‘ LOW TRAJECTORY –LOWER PERCENTAGE ‘ SHOT —-I MIGHT BE WRONG DUE TO THE ……..” MORE BEER PLEASE “
yeah, the arc on his shot is just not that great on about half of those shots… not sure why the coach isn’t telling him as it happens give him instant feedback.
THINK LAMAR REALIZES THE COMPETITION // SURVIVAL WILL BE VERY HIGH// TOUGH —GOOD TO SEE—HOPE ICE IS DOING THE SAME
Do we think the Cavs are trying to get involved in a big trade (Mitchell, KD, Russ, Turner, Conley, etc) as a 3rd/4th team? It seems like the only reasonable explanation for Sexton not being re-signed by now.
The unreasonable one being he and his team think he is worth $20 mil and some NBA team will give it to them.
No chance in hell, though.
I think his camp is still waiting to see what, if any, offer they get from some other team. They more or less know what they can get from the Cavs. I certainly don’t see any other NBA team giving him a contract with annual salary starting with a ‘2’.
Not every decent player in the NBA is going to get a max or near max, no matter what Klutch wants to believe.
I think the Cavs are trying to get involved in big trade talks, think they’d be willing to trade Sexton for a veteran on a good deal.
I think Sexton not being re-signed is more of an indication he and his agent want to explore all options or are waiting to see if the Cavs free up some money to offer more. I don’t think him being unsigned is necessarily the Cavs holding things up.
obviously they will wait as long as they can. there is no down side to it for them.
Clase strikes out side in save for asg.
caught a little bit of it, nasty cut fastball like Rivera back in the day.
Yep. Both sort of one pitch cutter guys. Though Rivera had even more movement. But Clase is certainly a special closer. As long as his velocity and control hold he will have a very special career.
on ten pitches. the one ball looked to be a strike.
The new unis are, at best, unimaginitive and blase, and at worst, awful.
read it too fast — thought you said: at worst, artful!
Where’s history and culture in this uni’s? I bet ya we will have another set after 4 years.
Please give us great uniforms..
check ’em out:
https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2022/07/cleveland-cavaliers-complete-identity-rebrand-with-release-of-three-new-uniforms.html
Using the practice uniforms as the official ones too? Why not?!?!?! Way to go and save some money Dan!
Very terrible. Somehow still better than the trash jerseys from the last 4 seasons. To make such a big deal and then roll out these duds is embarrassing. Looks like something you would find in some obscure aisle at Marc’s, buried between the Chips Ahoy and men’s underwear.
I thought the mustard/wine throwbacks with the proper Cavalier on them were excellent.
I agree Jason, those were some all-timers
they might be awful, but I don’t think Dan is cheap.
I’m not a jersey buyer, but I do like the white one.
The “C” on the shorts is off-putting… and they should’ve kept the checkered trim or something.
That said, I do like how clean they are otherwise, the red ones really pop. Also like how they kept the 2016 blacks just making them sleeveless.
The shorts are definitely the worst part. Just really dumb looking. The Cavs are so bad at this. Stop crapping the bed and just go with a simple classic look.
Yeah, this reeks of “consultant” brain paying outrageous sums of money to do something mediocre LMFAOOOO
Jabari Walker absolutely crushing all summer league.
YEAH ALONG WAYS OFF FOR MORE CAVS BASKETBALL….” MORE BEER PLEASE “
thnx for the cap!
all in all, I’m pretty happy with the summer league results.
I assume training camp is the next thing to occur. Anyone know the date?
Thanks Raoul as always! IDK the date for training camp, presumably late September.
I was searching online for the date, and nothing came up. Maybe it has not been determined yet.
yeah probably not, but there are exhibition games scheduled late Sept/early Oct so they’re probably in camp mid-late September.
Nice recap CLF!
Gonna have to wait for camp for more hoops.
20 for camp. Max. 15 under contract + Movley & Nembhard. +3 more. Sexton (barring a trade). Travers & Diop would probably beplaying abroad, so Sylla & Young?
Thank you Jason as always! Agree on Sylla and Young.
Just going by Summer League, I’d take Osborne and Hardy too, presuming Sexton’s in the fold by then.
THANK YOU CLF—AGREE WITH YOU ON TARI –STILL NOT SURE ON HIS FIT WITH THE CAVS ( DID A CLF// LMFAO )—–“ELDER ‘ MOBLEY I THINK HAS A VERY GOOD CHANCE OF TAKING L STEVENS ROLE—JUST MY OPINION —–TAVARES– LIKE MIKEO POSTED ” SHOOT JUMPERS UNTIL YOUR FINGERS BLEED “——–STILL WOULD HAVE LOVED TO GET A GLIMPSE OF DIOP // THINK HE WOULD HAVE ‘OPENED ‘ ALOT OF EYES AND DOMINATED
You’re welcome as always NOMAD!
I think Isaiah Mobley still a ways away from NBA… as a whole, he struggled a lot in summer league on the offensive end. But I do like his passing.
Tari Eason should’ve gone top 10 easily LMFAOOO