Our staff voted on how we feel about the individual performances in Vegas.
The Cleveland Cavaliers wrapped up Summer League with a 2-3 record. The Fear the Sword staff took the opportunity to rate the summer starting five on a scale of 1-10 in two areas. First, in how confident we are that they could provide positive rotation minutes this upcoming season. And then, on whether they will ever be able to provide positive rotation minutes for the Cavs at any point in their career.
Confidence in ability to contribute next season: 2
Confidence in ability to contribute in the future: 5
Shooting is the most important ability. Height is the most important attribute. Emoni Bates has both. He’s one of only a handful of people in the league that can say that. The issue is everything else.
I believe that Bates will be able to put it all together and be a productive rotation player, but there’s a reason my colleagues aren’t. He hasn’t taken meaningful step forwards in the areas he needs to in order to be a rotation player. It’s fair to be skeptical about whether those steps will ever come. And even though he does have size, the lack of athleticism is a problem.
Still, the baseline he needs to get to isn’t as high as someone without the elite shooting he can provide. I still chose to believe even if the road may be longer than some were hoping it’d be when the Cavs drafted him in 2023. — Jackson Flickinger
Contribute next season: 2
Contribute in the future: 3
As much as you’d like Travers to slot right into the rotation, the reality is that he still has a lot to work on before that vision comes to fruition. Travers appeared bulkier than his last two Summer League stints with the Cavs, but he still leaves a lot to be desired.
Travers didn't hit a single three-pointer in four games, averaged more than two turnovers (second-most on the Cavs’ roster), and shot only 48.1% from the floor. He isn't a functional dribbler, though he is a guy who can push the pace with long outlet passes to catch defenses off guard. Travers also had 1.3 steals and half a block per game, displaying some of the pesky defense that his fellow Aussie Matthew Dellavedova may have instilled.
This was the third trip to the NBA Summer League for Travers, and the results are simply not good enough for what the Cavs need right now. He has some nice traits on both sides of the ball, but he isn't nearly enough of an offensive threat to warrant playing over on this side of the hemisphere full-time. There’s reason to be skeptical of that ever happening, either. —Mike Anguilano
Contribute next season: 1
Contribute in the future: 2
The Summer League team struggled to defend. Having no resistance inside allowed for opponents to get what they wanted at the rim or pass it to the corner for open threes once the help arrived. Pete Nance isn’t the only one who struggled on defense, but his struggles were more costly because he was the starting center.
Nance lacks the lateral quickness needed to defend pick-and-rolls. That isn’t completely uncommon. There’s a place in the league for backup, lumbering bigs, who play drop in those situations, but his quickness and athleticism is still lacking even on that generous of a scale.
It’s clear that Nance can shoot the three-ball. The shot looks good and he is taking it with much more regularity. That said, the idea of a stretch five only works if they can do the traditional center tasks at an average or slightly below-average level. Nance hasn’t shown he can consistently do so in this context or the G League. — Flickinger
Contribute next season: 6
Contribute in the future: 6
This Summer League seemed to create the perfect conditions for Craig Porter Jr. to disappoint, making him look like a different player than we saw last season.
Porter admitted heading into Summer League that he was not at 100% due to an ankle injury he suffered at the end of the regular season. While he was still hampered, he was also playing very aggressively on offense.
Porter was trying to display improvement from beyond the arc in Summer League. He averaged 4.7 three-point attempts per game, but only made 21.4% of them, often taking shots that were not in the flow of the offense. Whether this was his intention or the coaching staff’s it did not translate to quality possessions or a display of growth.
For Porter to secure a significant spot in the rotation, he must prove that his shot demands defensive respect. Otherwise, opponents will sag off, negatively impacting the team’s offense. Summer League is the optimal time to try out new skills you worked on in the offseason. Unfortunately for Porter, the results are televised and can be criticized. — Corey Walsh
Contribute next season: 8
Contribute in the future: 9.5
Jaylon Tyson showed Cavs fans almost everything they had hoped to see.
He was a natural shot creator, excelling with the ball in his hands against Summer League competition. Tyson effortlessly created advantages for himself and others — finishing with a combined 44 points on 15-of-19 shooting across his final two games.
The only thing missing from Tyson’s trip to Vegas was an opportunity to showcase his off-ball game. This is where you’d have liked to see more competent creators around him in Summer League. He attempted just 15 three-pointers, which is low volume for a guy who will be expected to fill a catch-and-shoot role in the NBA. Tyson will not be featured on-ball as prominently with the Cavs and for now, his ability to play without the ball remains a question mark.
Overall, Tyson gave us enough of a reason to believe he could be an impactful player as soon as his rookie season. — Tony Pesta
