Meleek Thomas shows his confidence ahead of his rookie season with the Cavaliers
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Meleek Thomas shows his confidence ahead of his rookie season with the Cavaliers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Across all 30 NBA teams, there are players who are hungry to make an impact. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, they are looking to close the gap with the New York Knicks, the team that swept them in the Eastern Conference Finals. That is why they have made some moves in the 2026 offseason, including doing a sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson.
They also made some improvements outside of that move, including the selection of Meleek Thomas in the 2026 NBA Draft with the 34th overall pick. Many consider him a steal in the second round because of his undeniable talent, and it seems he is beyond motivated.
Meleek Thomas continues to show confidence ahead of his rookie year
During the 2026 NBA Summer League, Thomas was one of the most impressive players. He was the leading scorer, as he averaged 27.3 points a night across the four games he played. It was an impressive run for Thomas, and it bodes well for the Cavaliers' future.
Thomas' three-point shooting was encouraging, as he hit 14 of his 32 attempts, which was good for 43.8%. Moving forward, that could bode well since he will be playing alongside the likes of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden on the Cavaliers.
MORE: Carmelo Anthony sees Meleek Thomas as the most impressive rookie at NBA Summer League
Watson will probably get the most minutes as the small forward in Cleveland with Jaylon Tyson backing him up. Thomas can be an option on the wing, which is a good thing because he can replace Max Strus, who was involved in the trade for Watson. Now, it seems Thomas has full belief in himself to make an impact, as shown in his Instagram story.
He posted song lyrics to his IG story, which came from the Rod Wave song "I Am." It is a self-affirming quote that shows Thomas' mindset ahead of his rookie year. This is a good sign for the Cavaliers because if he is confident in himself, that could make him a fun player to look out for.
The Cavaliers will most likely stick with the proven players, but if Thomas gets the call from head coach Kenny Atkinson, he will be ready to answer. With what he showed at NBA Summer League, Atkinson should at least consider Thomas as a rotational option.
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- James Harden was a big part of recruiting Peyton Watson to the Cavaliers
- Cavs GM Koby Altman pens a heartfelt farewell for Max Strus
- Nikola Jokic gets candid about losing Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers
- Peyton Watson could be the Cavaliers' new weapon to beat the Knicks