Summer League Recap: Cavs 94, Hawks 90

The 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!