CLEVELAND — Media day is chaotic. Players are asked very random questions about their summers. Some of it is interesting. Some of it isn’t.
There often isn’t a throughline to what is said, and it’s impossible to synthesize everything into one cohesive story. So instead of trying to do so, I’m going to just give you one interesting thing each player said that wasn’t covered in any of our other articles.
Let’s start with the face of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Donovan Mitchell
“I saw Peyton Watson at the World Cup, and I told Koby [Altman] — we were just talking briefly, I had nothing to do with him coming here — I was like, man, he’s tall as shit. Like, I didn’t know he was that tall.”
Small forward has long been a problem area for the Cavs. They’ve struggled to find a player who connects their dynamic backcourt with the imposing frontcourt.
Part of the reason for that is the unique skill set needed to bridge that divide. The ideal fit needs to be comfortable operating off-ball offensively as a shooter and tertiary playmaker. Defensively, they need to cover multiple positions, which includes defending the opponent’s best perimeter player and shifting up to the four if needed.
The Cavs have had players who could do one of those things. De’Andre Hunter and Max Strus delivered the offensive component, but weren’t perfectly suited defensively for that role. Dean Wade was the opposite.
We’ll see if Watson can be the missing piece at the three. What I can confidently say now is that Mitchell is right. Watson is indeed tall.
Thomas Bryant
“We have to be a collective unit out there on the basketball court.”
Some years at media day, you get a lot of talk about how the team will play differently. Pushing the pace, shooting more threes, and moving more off-ball are all things we’ve heard in the past.
The Cavs didn’t focus on that this time. There wasn’t much talk about X’s and O’s. Instead, they talked about being more connected on and off the court.
That makes sense, given how hastily assembled the Cavs were last season. They found instant success due to their incredible skill and how well their talents matched up. Yet, it never felt like they reached their ceiling despite advancing to the conference finals.
If I were to read between the lines here, the Cavs reasoning for that was a lack of cohesion. They’ve spent this summer trying to correct that.
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Nae’Qwan Tomlin
“I’m definitely the best dancer. Don can’t dance. Don can’t dance. He got no rhythm for real, and then a lot of people don’t really dance.”
As someone who can’t dance and certainly doesn’t do so in public, I give Mitchell credit for trying.
Ernest Udeh Jr.
Reffering to what he wants to improve: “Decision-making. First and foremost, I understand my role and what I bring to any given team that I’m on. Within those details and little facets is decision-making. What to do with the ball when it comes to me in a specific spot.”
Decision-making and being able to process the game are some of the most important skills. It’s also the area rookies struggle with most coming into the league. It’s good that Udeh recognizes this and wants to improve there.
James Harden
“It’s my left hand. It was swollen at the time (last postseason), so it was kind of difficult to dribble or shoot, or be effective. But I mean, there’s no excuses. You just figure it out. Do whatever it takes.”
Harden admitted that the left thumb that he broke in February was still bothering him in the playoffs. That isn’t surprising since he was often seen icing his hand after playoff games. However, it’s somewhat noteworthy for him to admit that.
The injured thumb on his dominant hand could be why he posted the worst turnover percentage of his career last postseason.
Jaylon Tyson
Referring to his poor off-ball defense last season: “It’s just laziness. … It was a lot of mental lapses, and I think that’s something that we went into with conditioning and being in even more of an elite condition.”
Tyson isn’t afraid to publicly point out his flaws. That also comes with an intense desire to fix those flaws. Last season, we saw him go from being a hesitant three-point shooter to being one of the most efficient in the league. This year, he’s targeting the defensive side of the floor.
Tyrese Proctor
“[Patty Mills] taught me a lot. Obviously, all the stuff on the court, footwork, technical stuff, balance, base, but a lot off the court. Just with the NBA and the environments that you play in and stuff like that.”
The second-year guard revealed that he spent three weeks in Hawaii with Mills training over the summer. You can’t find too many better guards to pattern your game after. This was in addition to representing Australia in FIBA qualifiers.
Safe to say, it was a busy summer for Proctor.
Tristan Enaruna
“I think I kind of found a spot here. I’m feeling good. I’m feeling confident. That definitely helps knowing what you’re getting into.”
Enaruna has the size and skills you want in a wing. Whether or not he can put it all together for the Cavs remains to be seen.
Mario Hezonja
“I don’t need to prove anything. I just need to give. That is my mentality. I think everyone knows what it is. I am not even coming here with my mentality of who I am back in Europe. … The mentality is giving. Giving to this team, giving to this coaching [staff], my teammates. Just giving back.”
A lack of skill wasn’t the reason Hezonja’s first stint in the NBA wasn’t successful, and isn’t a concern six years later. The question is whether Hezonja can buy into his place on the team, fit into what they need, and excel in that narrower role.
Based on Hezonja’s comments, he knows what he needs to do with this team and is willing to do so. We’ll see if he can back that up.
Craig Porter Jr.
“I feel like scoring. Just being able to open things up for other guys because everyone knows Donovan and James and those guys are going to do what they do on a nightly basis. It’s up to the rest of us to take some of that pressure off their shoulders.”
Porter has the potential to be a much more efficient scorer. The three-point shot has come a long way, and he’s a good finisher at the rim. The next step in his development is figuring out what to do when he’s cut off from the basket.
It’s much easier to envision Porter as the backup point guard if he’s a more multi-faceted scorer.
Meleek Thomas
“But specifically defense because I got to be trusted out there on defense before I could do anything offensively.”
Rookie second-round picks typically don’t make meaningful impacts on teams with championship aspirations. Thomas could be the exception if the scoring he showed in Summer League carries over to games that count. However, if he isn’t at least passable defensively, then it’s difficult to justify giving him minutes given the point-of-attack deficiencies already on this roster.
I’m skeptical of how impactful Thomas will be in his rookie season. It is, however, encouraging that he seems to know what he needs to do to get onto the court.
Riley Minix
“Guys are inviting each other to go to New York, to Phoenix, like to all these mini-camp places. We went to the U.S. Open together, which is pretty crazy. Guys are showing up, and you can tell on this team and in this organization, that’s part of the culture.”
As mentioned with Bryant’s quote, one of the main throughlines of media day was how this team is trying to establish a closer connection on and off the court. It’s difficult to communicate with players you don’t have a relationship with. That was perhaps an issue at times in the playoffs given how little experience the rotation had together.
Cleveland’s star players went out of their way to change that this offseason. Those plans included inviting even two-way players like Minix to events and making sure he felt like a valuable part of the team. That’s meaningful.
Evan Mobley
Reffering to what he worked on most in the off-season: “Getting go-to moves so when I get the ball in certain spots, knowing what I’m probably going to get to. That was a big focus for me this summer.”
Mobley wouldn’t divulge what those moves could be. “You’re gonna have to find out and see.”
Mobley has always been a good finisher around the rim, but the in-between game has been less than ideal for someone who has displayed good touch. Last season, he shot 46% on attempts between the restricted area and free-throw line (52nd percentile) and 31% on long mid-range shots (48th percentile). Both are passable but far from elite. Having something that he could go to in the second level would be a great way for him to supplement his offense.
Sam Merrill
“Experience is so important. You can’t replicate playoff experience. The every second pressure that’s out there, and how important every single possession is.
“I had some ups and some downs in the playoffs, like everybody did. I overall felt good about the way that I grew and felt like I got better and better, but again, how can I continue to get better at all facets of the game? Try and make life easier for Donovan and James, and for Evan and Jarrett [Allen]. The easier we can make life for them, the easier they’ll make it for us and the better we’ll be.”
A single elite skill like shooting can get you onto the floor in a playoff game. Being able to contribute in multiple ways will keep you there.
Merrill’s shooting was helpful at many points in the postseason. But becoming more comfortable doing other things like handling the ball, picking up a wider variety of defensive assignments, and finding ways to score inside the arc will allow him to showcase his shooting more often in the postseason.
Jarrett Allen
“More time together means more success.”
Merrill talked about the importance of playoff reps, but there’s something to be said about regular season ones as well. This group with Harden simply needs time to figure out how they want to play, how to perfect what they did well last year, and counters for when teams take away the high pick-and-roll like the New York Knicks did last postseason.
Regular season results don’t matter much in the playoffs. Regular season habits do. That is what the Cavs need to get right this year.
“We have the ability to do great things, but we have to do the work earlier so that we can be able to play at our best longer.”
Note: Peyton Watson and Khalifa Diop did not participate in media availability.
