Хоёрдугаар тойргийн сонголтоор багтаа нэгдсэн Мелик Томас NBA-ийн зуны лигийн нэгдүгээр шигшээ багт нэрлэгдсэн цорын ганц лоттерын гаднах тоглогч боллоо.
Мелик Томас зуны лигийн дөрвөн тоглолтод дунджаар 27.3 оноо авч, шидэлтийн гайхалтай хувь үзүүлснээр энэхүү амжилтад хүрсэн юм. Тэр дундаа долдугаар сарын 23-нд Майами Хит багийн эсрэг 35 оноо авч, багийнхаа ялалтад голлох үүрэг гүйцэтгэсэн. Түүний хамт Кэмерон Бузер, Брэйден Бюррис, Яхел Лендеборг болон Калеб Уилсон нар зуны лигийн нэгдүгээр шигшээ багт багтжээ.
Томас талбай дээр өөртөө итгэлтэй тоглож, бөмбөгтэй үедээ довтолгоог хэрхэн удирдах, хамгаалагчдыг хэрхэн хуурах чадвараа харуулсан. Түүний довтолгооны ур чадвар, ялангуяа дундын зайн шидэлт болон хамгаалалтын эсрэг тоглолт нь Кливленд Кавалиерсийн ирээдүйн бүрэлдэхүүнд үр дүнтэй ашиглагдах боломжтойг харууллаа.
Хэдийгээр Кливленд Кавалиерс нь Жэймс Харден, Донован Митчелл зэрэг од тоглогчидтой тул Томас эхний улирлаасаа бөмбөгтэй голлох үүрэг гүйцэтгэх магадлал бага ч, түүнийг багтаа сонгосон нь одоогоор эерэг үр дүнгээ өгч байна. Улирлын өмнөх тоглолтууд түүнийг гарааны тавт эсвэл сэлгээнээс хэрхэн үр дүнтэй тоглохыг харуулах болно.
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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 17: Meleek Thomas #15 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles the ball during the game against the Chicago Bulls on July 17, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers traded out of the first round of this most recent draft, but still ended up with a player on the NBA Summer League First Team.
Cleveland’s second-round pick, Meleek Thomas, joined Cameron Boozer (Memphis Grizzlies), Brayden Burries (Milwaukee Bucks), Yaxel Lendeborg (Golden State Warriors) and Caleb Wilson (Chicago Bulls) on the NBA Summer League First Team. Thomas was the only player from that group who was selected outside of the lottery.
Thomas’s spot is well-deserved. He led Summer League in scoring with 27.3 points per game on an incredibly efficient .500/.438/1.000 shooting splits over four games. This included an impressive 35-point outing to defeat the Miami Heat on July 23.
Judging a rookie exclusively by how they perform in Summer League is foolish. The competition level and the role they will play in the NBA aren’t close to the same. Excelling in Las Vegas doesn’t necessarily mean they will do so in the league. At the same time, how poised Thomas was in this environment is encouraging.
Thomas showed that he has the skills to be an effective natural scorer. His fluidity, ability to create off the dribble, and lethal shot were on display in every game he played. Defenders weren’t able to stay in front of him. And when Thomas got to where he wanted on the court, he scored efficiently.
Thomas likely won’t be an on-ball scorer early in his NBA career, at least not if he’s sharing the floor with the likes of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. Yet, the skills that made him such an elite scorer in Summer League (shooting, ability to attack closeouts, midrange shooting) can translate over to more off-ball roles, if he chooses to apply them in that way. We’ll get our first idea if they can during preseason.
It’s too early to declare that the Cavs got the steal of the draft. We’ll wait until after the season to see if a discussion like that is necessary. But as of now, the Cavs have to be happy with what they’ve seen from their most recent draft pick.
