Meleek Thomas is Not Shying Away from His Rookie Season

Thomas has made an early impression on teammates and coaches. Before the team left for Spain this week, he talked about his impressions of them.

“You can tell they’re competitors, guys who are willing to win by any means,” said the Pittsburgh native. “(They’re) real helpers. Like, I got a team full of helpers, guys who are willing to help, from the staff to the players. It’s a team full of dogs like myself; we all get after it. 

“Man, that kid is a dog.” 

That’s what Donovan Mitchell said about rookie teammate Meleek Thomas on Media Day earlier this week, an opinion that seems to be the universal review on the 20-year-old guard. Fans got a glimpse at Summer League. They’re going to get more in less than a week at Rocket Arena. 

Mitchell continued: “Like, there's some guys that talk and have that aura about them, you know what I mean? Like, you saw it in Summer League, but you're like, all right, maybe it's Summer League, you know. We got to Phoenix. Alright, cool. Then we got to New York, then we got the OTAs, and I'm sitting there like, ‘Man, this kid is still going.’ And every day, he’s in the conversation, he wants to learn. He’s asked so many questions. Reminds me of myself. Like, I wanted to know everything from everybody, and he’s asked myself, he asked James, Thomas Bryant. The coaches. He's the real deal. I'm excited for him this year.”

The Cavs initially had the 29^th overall pick in last June’s Draft but traded down into the second round to select Thomas at No. 34 out of Arkansas. 

A consensus five-star prep recruit who won two Pennsylvania state titles, Thomas led the Razorbacks as a freshman in three-point shooting (.416), from the free throw line (.844), and in steals (51), finishing 10^th in the SEC in field goals made (203) and steals per game. 

In his single season at Fayetteville, Thomas topped the 20-point plateau on eight occasions, with a career-best 30-point effort against Missouri in the regular season finale – going 5-for-6 from three-point range in an overtime victory. On the season, Thomas posted four games with at least five triples – shooting 49 percent from beyond the arc in SEC games. 

Thomas didn’t just bring a loaded single-season resume into the Draft. The only Arkansas player ever drafted by the Cavaliers, he comes into the league as a “Calipari guy.” 

“(Calipari guys) are different,” said Thomas. “I mean, they’re guys that are 100%. Because when you play for Cal, you’ve got to know what type of culture you're playing for. He's a coach that's going to hold you to your highest expectations and he's gonna make sure he gets the most out of you. He's going to maximize you as a player because he pushes you that hard as a coach. 

“There’s a select few of us and, at the same time, there’s not a select few of us, just because how many players he's gotten to the next level. And I want to eventually get there – with the Murrays, with the Shais. I'm a newcomer, but I'm gonna get there just because we’ve all got the same mentality, the same morals, the same will to win and be great. Being a Calipari guy, it means a lot. You don't take it for granted. It's special.” 

At Arkansas, Thomas might’ve garnered more headlines if not for his teammate, Darius Acuff Jr., who went No. 7 overall to the Sacramento Kings. Both Calipari guys will have to prove their mettle at the pro level, but so far Thomas has gotten the upper hand – leading the NBA’s Summer League session in scoring. 

Overall, in his four games out west, Thomas led everyone in scoring (27.3 PPG) and field goal attempts (20.5) and was second overall in field goals makes (10.3). He shot an even 50 percent from the floor and 44 percent from long-range – averaging 3.5 boards and a team-best 3.8 assist per game. He averaged just 1.5 turnovers to go with 2.0 steals in his four outings. 

The quietly confident rookie feels that a strong Summer League showing can propel him right into the regular season.  

“I would say it kind of gives me the same confidence that I stay with,” said the 6-5, 185-pounder. “I knew I would have a big Summer League just because of my hunger and my drive to perform and succeed. Like, nothing’s stopping me from succeeding.”

One of eight brothers and sisters, Thomas – who just turned 20 in early August – credits his big family for his approach to life, and basketball. 

“Growing up in a larger family affects my basketball mentality, just because, like, I've seen my mom and dad never give up, always work hard, and always provide and care for me and my siblings, day after day,” said Thomas. “So, my basketball mentality just stems from that. I've never seen my parents give up. I always see them do everything that me and my siblings need to succeed. So, that's exactly how I'm approach my basketball career. I'm never gonna give up, no matter how hard it gets, no matter what situation I go through. For me to succeed, I'm willing to do whatever it takes, just like my parents.” 

Thomas showed his stuff as a three-level scorer in his short stint in Nevada. He went 7-for-15 from the floor for 20 points in his debut against Indiana but really hit his stride two nights later against the Pistons – finishing with 30 points on 10-of-24 shooting, leading both teams with seven assists and Cleveland with four steals. 

Thomas was even more explosive the following night with a 35-point eruption – going 14-for-23 from the floor, including 5-of-9 from deep, adding three boards, three assists, a pair of steals and a block. After getting the night off against New Orleans, he wrapped up his outstanding week of work with a game-high 24-points in a win over Chicago. 

“One hundred percent I will contribute this year as a rookie,” said Thomas. “Age, rookie, anything doesn't matter when we step in between them lines. I’m a competitive guy. It’s me and my teammates versus the other team. I'm going to contribute to winning, do anything my team needs for me to do, for us to get wins.” 

“Coach has been speaking about how he likes where we are as a team right now, before preseason starts. And that really just stems from us competing and pushing each other to get better to the fullest limit. Preseason is here in another week or two, but we all have a great feeling about where we are as a team just because of how competitive things have gotten, how serious we take everything. And my team has done nothing but help me up until now, and I see it continuing that way.”

The Cavaliers backcourt is a crowded one, and combo-guard minutes could come sparingly. Cleveland’s future Hall of Fame starters are locked in. Sam Merrill is their first shooter off the bench, and Kenny Atkinson will have to find time for Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor, last year’s top draft pick. 

But Thomas showed off his solid handle at Summer League and ran the offense efficiently last year at Arkansas, finishing with seven games of at least five assists, but just three outings with more than three turnovers. In three NCAA Tournament games, he committed exactly three miscues.

One thing that fans will love about Thomas from the start – a quality that teammates have already embraced – is his level of confidence. It’s not cockiness. It’s not brashness. It’s just stand-up-straight confidence. 

“It comes from just myself,” grinned the youngest Cavalier. “You can't really pick up confidence, it’s all internal. You’ve heard people say, like, you got it or you don't. It's all internal. It's something I was born with, something the Lord placed inside of me – and my parents just kind of just kept it going. And I'll never lose it. When it's when it's rooted from you, you can't lose it. But if it comes from somewhere else, it's easy to waver.” 

Thomas and his new teammates have had plenty of time to jell this week in Spain, although the Pittsburgh native was angry that he didn’t get to check out his Steelers in their matchup with the Browns on Thursday night. He knows Cleveland fans won’t take kindly to his love of an archrival but he’s not going to soften the blow and hide his gridiron allegiances.

“If I was in town this week, I'd be at the Browns game with my Steelers gear on,” smiled Thomas. “I'm Pittsburgh – all the way, forever and ever. And yeah, I will wear my Steelers gear to Browns games to show my support and what side I'm on.

“I'm not softening no blows.”