The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 82-77 in Las Vegas on Wednesday for their second straight Summer League win — and they did it with Meleek Thomas watching from the bench. Per Fear The Sword’s recap, Cleveland shut its rookie standout down for the night, keeping the No. 34 pick out of harm’s way while Malaki Branham carried the scoring with 22 points.
The rest was earned. On Monday, Thomas shot 14-for-23 from the floor and 5-for-9 from three for a game-high 35 points in a 90-73 win over the Miami Heat, adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals while Cleveland outscored Miami 50-38 in the paint, per NBA.com’s recap. The total tied the franchise’s single-game Summer League scoring record. It was also his second straight 30-point game, bringing him to 85 points across three appearances in Vegas.
A week ago, the story was Kenny Atkinson calling Thomas a draft steal. That was a coach’s compliment; what has happened since is a body of work. Second-round picks are supposed to spend July fighting for a roster spot. Thomas has instead spent it forcing a different question — not whether he can score against summer competition, but how quickly Cleveland can find him real minutes in the fall. Sitting him on the second night of that answer is what teams do with players they already consider part of the plan.
The win itself came from the rest of the roster. Branham’s 22 points led the way, and Cleveland closed out a five-point game late — useful reps for a group of fringe candidates suddenly playing without the headliner. The Cavaliers, who opened Vegas 0-2, finish the week with a chance to climb above .500 in Summer League play.
For fantasy purposes, Thomas is the fastest riser of Cleveland’s summer. He is a priority stash in dynasty rookie drafts that have not yet run, and worth a late-round flier in deep redraft leagues on the chance the scoring translates into a bench-guard role from opening night. His 50/46/100 shooting split across the three Vegas games is the detail that separates this from an ordinary hot week.
