Meleek Thomas scored 16 points off the bench in his NBA debut, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers rally for a 127-125 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
Thomas was confident that his time would come after not seeing the floor in Cleveland’s first two games. The rookie guard made the most of it. 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.
Thomas played 10 minutes in the first half and was Cleveland’s leading scorer at that point with 10 points. He finished 6 of 10 from the field, including 4 of 5 on 3-pointers, and added two rebounds and one steal in 19 minutes.
“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.
A Strong Debut
Thomas averaged 15.6 points and shot 41.6% from 3-point range at Arkansas last season. His 16 points were the second-most by a Cavaliers rookie in his debut coming off the bench. Brevin Knight scored 18 against Houston on Oct. 31, 1997, after being the 16th overall pick out of Stanford.
Thomas drew pre-draft comparisons to CJ McCollum, since both are 6-foot-3 guards and McCollum excelled from beyond the arc.
“It is very rare to ride the coattails of a rookie riding into the half,” said All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who led Cleveland with 25 points. “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.”
Earning His Minutes
Coach Kenny Atkinson said he did not play Thomas against Philadelphia and Brooklyn due to matchup problems. He decided to see what Thomas could do against Minnesota because the Cavaliers needed a third ball handler on the court to take some pressure off Mitchell and James Harden.
Thomas’ confidence was bolstered by spending time with Harden and Mitchell during preseason workouts. Mitchell has liked what he has seen from Thomas early due to his work ethic.
“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.”
“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.
Rally Completed Without Him
Cleveland trailed by 15 points in the first half before rallying in the third quarter and eventually pulling out the win in overtime. Thomas did not see the floor for the final 9:35 of the game, but Mitchell credited the rookie for the victory.
“In this league, you have to do it over and over. Since the day we drafted him we were bullish on him,” Atkinson said.