Why Malik Thomas Is Playing At High Level At The Right Time For The Cavaliers

When we often look at the Virginia Cavaliers, we think about Thijs De Ridder, who is their best player on the court. However, the Cavaliers are a collection of talent that are thriving in their roles on the team and continuing to play at a high level. One of the players who is doing that is Malik Thomas. Thomas came over from San Francisco, where he spent two seasons. In his final year with San Francisco, he averaged nearly 20 points per game and 39.4% from three-point range. This year, his numbers have dipped a little bit from his career-highs, but he is flourishing in his lead guard role in the starting lineup, averaging 12.1 points and 4.1 rebounds. His offense has continued to pick up, and Thomas has crossed double figures in six of the past seven outings for Virginia. He looks calm and in a rhythm on the offensive side of the ball and continues to be efficient from the floor. His head coach, Ryan Odom talked abou this overall improvement.

"He's really improved his overall game, and I know we're really proud of him and the strides that he's made, not only on the offensive end, but on the defensive end. He's made major, major strides in his rebounding, his toughness, his ability to [move on] when it's not going well. I'll take him out of the game, and then I put him right back in, and he just answers,” said Odom.

In the win against Virginia Tech, Thomas carried the scoring load in the first half and was the go-to scoring option. He finished with 16 points on an efficient 6-9 from the field. He also grabbed two steals and continued to apply pressure on the defensive end of the floor. Without his scoring and defensive efforts, the Cavaliers don’t jump out to a big lead over the Hokies.

“He got us off to an amazing start today.... and that shot that he made from almost half court was huge at the end of the clock. And he's got a really bright future in basketball. So, I'm really proud of him, and his character is rock solid. His family's rock solid. And we need him to play well down the stretch here in March Madness,” said Odom.

It is critical to state his improvement because the Cavaliers are going to need that veteran experience in the NCAA tournament and a guy who can create shots for himself offensively. Far too often, top teams fall because they don’t get enough from their backcourt. I doubt that is a reality for the Hoos this year in the postseason. With Thomas' ability to score and defend, they should be primed for a deep run and shock some people in the tourney. It has been quite the journey for Thomas, but it looks like he has finally found his home and a great role where he can flourish.