The Cleveland Cavaliers still haven’t won a preseason game against an NBA team since 2022. They dropped Thursday’s contest against the Chicago Bulls 119-112.
Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
22 points (8-16 shooting), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 25 minutes
The Cavs’ offense felt a little choppy with the starters. It’s clear they’re emphasizing getting Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter the ball in spots they can attack in isolation. That isn’t going to make
for a beautiful motion offense. At the same time, there’s still room for things to run smoother than they did in Chicago.
It’s unfair to blame a lack of flow completely on Mitchell. However, he’s expected to be the team’s opening night starter at point guard with Darius Garland missing the start of the season with a toe injury. It will be Mitchell’s responsibility to get the offense humming, and having just four assists to three turnovers doesn’t exactly do that.
Still, it was a solid preseason showing. Mitchell scored efficiently and once again did a good job of playing the passing lanes on defense, which is one of the things head coach Kenny Atkinson wants to see his team do better this season.
Grade: B-
Evan Mobley
21 points (6-10 shooting), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 26 minutes
Mobley has looked much more comfortable operating with the ball in his hands this preseason. He’s attacking off the dribble, being the ball handler on pick-and-rolls, and bringing the ball up the court pretty consistently. This allowed him to continually get to the rim, and more importantly, the free-throw line (8-10).
Additionally, Mobley tied Mitchell for the most assists from a starter. Playmaking is another benefit of having the ball in Mobley’s hands more.
We’re seeing exactly what we wanted to from him in the preseason.
Grade: A
Jarrett Allen
4 points (1-6 shooting), 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 24 minutes
Allen’s offensive game will likely suffer the most from not having Garland out there. He was able to get more shot attempts than he did in the preseason opener (four), but not really at the places on the floor he could attack. This included an aired three-pointer early in the shot clock.
He was great on the defensive end, but you would like to see him be involved a little more in the overall offense with the starters, which isn’t something he can entirely control.
Grade: B-
De’Andre Hunter
20 points (6-12 shooting), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 24 minutes
Hunter isn’t going to keep playing like prime Paul George. Players don’t typically take drastic leaps going into their age-28 season. That probably isn’t what’s happening here. That said, a lack of skill has never been an issue with Hunter. So far through two preseason games, he’s putting it all together.
Grade: A
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Jaylon Tyson
6 points (2-7 shooting), 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 22 minutes
The offense is still a work in progress for Tyson. He made a shot this outing, but wasn’t exactly efficient from the floor. He also struggled with turnovers, coughing it up three times. That isn’t ideal for someone who’s primarily playing off the ball. But you can almost ignore that because of the energy he played with on both ends.
Tyson isn’t going to be a mainstay within the top eight of the rotation if he continues to struggle like this from the field. That said, his infectious defensive energy is exactly what you’re looking for from a role player. Tyson was consistently in passing lanes, diving on the floor, and simply making stuff happen when he was on the court. That is worth something on a team that doesn’t necessarily have a plethora of high-motor players.
Grade: C+
Craig Porter Jr.
5 points (2-6 shooting), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 21 minutes
Porter couldn’t get his shot to go like he did on Tuesday. He still found a way to get a steal and contribute on the boards, but at this point in his career, his usefulness is tied very closely to his shotmaking. Because of that, this wasn’t his best outing.
Grade: C-
Larry Nance Jr.
0 points (0-3 shooting), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 13 minutes
Nance didn’t get much run until the fourth quarter. Right now, Dean Wade seems to be ahead of him in the rotation. Nance didn’t do a whole lot in this one to change that either.
Grade: C-
Tyrese Proctor
7 points (2-7 shooting), 2 assists, 12 minutes
It was fair to wonder if Proctor was deserving of a guaranteed deal when the Cavs selected him in the first round. That isn’t the case anymore, as he once again showed he was worthy of that contract even on a night he was inefficient from the floor.
Proctor’s offensive creation remains intriguing, even when the shots don’t fall. He’s been able to get to his spots offensively again on Thursday. That’s incredibly tough for any rookie to do, let alone a second-round pick.
Atkinson mentioned after Tuesday’s game that he was someone who he thought would spend most of the season in the G League with the Cleveland Charge. That will likely still be the case, but it might not be a reflection on Proctor’s ability, but instead the Cavs’ depth.
Grade: C+
Dean Wade
8 points (3-6 shooting), 1 rebound, 2 assists
Wade got a dunk on offense. He doesn’t do that often, even though he can get up higher than his opponent usually realizes.
Overall, it was a solid Wade game. He hit a pair of threes and played great defense. What more could you want?
Grade: B
Nae’Qwan Tomlin
1 point (0-6 shooting), 1 rebound, 18 minutes
Tomlin struggled to find his rhythm. He drastically overshot a three from the wing that missed the rim and backboard entirely. He wasn’t able to compensate by providing much else on the stat sheet to make up for the poor shooting night.
Grade: D
Lonzo Ball
3 points (1-3 shooting), 3 assists, 3 rebounds
Making post-entry passes is difficult. Making them from inside your opponent’s three-point line to the opposite block is nearly impossible.
There’s only a handful of players who could make a pass like that in the league today. Ball is one of them.
Ball wasn’t sharp at the start of this one. He struggled with four first-half personal fouls before settling into a nice rhythm in the second half.
Grade: B-
