Meleek Thomas was a projected first-round pick for much of the 2026 NBA Draft cycle, but ultimately fell into the second round on draft night. Despite that, through various professional events, such as Summer League and preseason, he's so far produced like a lottery pick.
Thomas entered his collegiate career as a five-star combo guard, and was able to shine in John Calipari's system at Arkansas alongside Darius Acuff Jr. He was largely a go-to scorer, able to toggle on and off the ball. But showed some developing chops as a passer and defender as well.
At Summer League in Las Vegas, Thomas looked like one of the best players on the floor, full stop. The former Razorback led the entire event in points per game, scorching the nets for 27.3 across four different contests. He shot 50% overall, including a blistering 44% from three on eight attempts per game. He also tacked on 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, taking advantage of freedom generated from the Cavaliers' Summer League team.
Now, Thomas is showing the early signs of that very same player in preseason.
It's been a slower start, though he's still offered signs that the scoring talent can be a base for his pro production. In his first preseason action, he scored 11 points off the bench, needing 13 shots to do so. He didn't see 3-pointers through at a great rate at just 1-for-7, but did go for three steals, two assists and two rebounds.
After a slower middle game - one that still included two steals and a block - Thomas found his scoring stride on Tuesday. In a second tilt against the Magic, he would lead all Cavaliers with 16 points, doing so in just 13 minutes off the bench. He shot an effective 6-for-9 overall, including 2-for-3 from 3-poin t land, and added three rebounds and a steal.
Given where the roster is at in the Eastern Conference, there's no guarantee that Thomas will be able to grab playing time for the Cavaliers. The starting backcourt is made up of superstars in Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, and even the secondary rotation has talent.
Still, Cleveland would do well to throw Thomas some Year 1 playing time. He's already looked the part of a future producer, and should be able to find his footing as a rotational piece in his debut season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/draft/onsi as NBA Draft: Cavaliers' Rookie Showing Scoring Prowess Through Preseason .
