Player Grades: Cavs at Hawks – Jaylon Tyson looks solid in return

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 10: Jaylon Tyson #20 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 10, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is con

Summarized by AI ⓘ

Basketball Zone

SEE ALL

SB Nation

Key players are returning for Warriors vs. Kings

SB Nation

Cavs trounced 124-102 by Hawks

SB Nation

Sixers take down tanking Pacers, still a (very slim) chance at the sixth seed

What is the story about?

The Cleveland Cavaliers… didn’t show us much in their final game against the Atlanta Hawks. There isn’t a whole lot to take from this one. So don’t give any of these grades too much merit.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

James Harden

20 points, 5 assists, 5 turnovers

Harden looks ready for anything other than regular-season basketball. I doubt he plays on Sunday — and if he does, the effort probably won’t be much better than this.

He was a minus-34 and had one more field goal than

turnovers.

Grade: F

Jaylon Tyson

15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks

Tyson is the lone bright spot. He returned from a toe injury tonight and didn’t appear to miss a step. He wasn’t able to make a three-pointer, but he shot 7-10 from inside two-point range. Welcome back, JT.

Grade: B+

Evan Mobley

10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 4 turnovers

Mobley crushed the Hawks in their last game. Tonight? Not so much.

I still think Mobley showed he has a size advantage in this matchup. But with little to play for, the Cavs didn’t make as concerted an effort to get him going.

Grade: F

Keon Ellis

2 points, 3 rebounds

Recently, I’ve talked a lot about Ellis making poor defensive decisions. So I leave you with this clip as an example.

Grade: D–

Max Strus

2 points, 4 rebounds

I missed when Strus made every shot. His 1-9 effort tonight was painful. I’d prefer he gets this out of his system before the playoffs begin, though.

Grade: F

Craig Porter

6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks

Porter still has the same offensive limitations as always. It’s hard to play an undersized guard who can’t space the floor. His ceiling will be drastically lower than it could be until he figures this out.

Grade: C

Dean Wade

3 points, 3 rebounds

I’m genuinely not sure if Dean Wade actually played in this game or if the box score is lying to me. I vaguely remember his three-pointer in the first half. But that could have been a fever dream.

Grade: F