Cleveland Cavs Need One of Their Young Guards To Break Through

While their new acquisitions of forwards Peyton Watson and Mario Hezonja have promise at the wings, Cleveland lost a lot of their depth this summer. The Cavs lost their two best small forwards from the last few years, with Dean Wade signing in Philadelphia and Max Strus being sent to the Los Angeles Clippers. To save money, Cleveland also moved off backup guards Dennis Schroder (Charlotte) and Keon Ellis (Brooklyn).

Unless the Cavs sign a veteran to run the backup point, a few of Cleveland’s youngsters will have to step up in Kenny Atkinson’s rotation, for both the regular season and the playoffs.

Craig Porter Jr.

The 26-year-old guard is heading into his fourth NBA season, all with the Cavaliers. Porter has been a diamond in the rough for Koby Altman and the front office, who originally signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2023 after a terrific collegiate career at Wichita State.

He has played 166 games with 10 starts for Cleveland, and has shown the ability to do everything on the court, despite only standing at 6’1. Porter’s career averages won’t jump off the page. But in 52 career games when Porter plays at least 20 minutes, he averages 8.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks. He has also greatly improved his perimeter game from college, shooting 49% from the field and 41% from three in those extended minutes.

OH MY CRAIG PORTER JR. 😱

The steal... the slam... the reaction.

Watch Bucks/Cavs on Peacock: https://t.co/xHJvqSB5z3 pic.twitter.com/7XZ4jfS7QP
— NBA (@NBA) November 18, 2025

While Porter has shown promise throughout his career, it has not been enough to earn him a full-time rotation job for the Cleveland Cavaliers. But now, heading into a contract year, he has the best opportunity of his career to land that type of role for a contending team. There aren’t veteran guys like Ty Jerome, Lonzo Ball and Dennis Schroder that could take his minutes away, like in previous years.

As for Porter’s fit with the Cavs rotation, he excels at playing pick-and-roll with the bigs and passing out to shooters. With the improved off-ball shooting and perimeter defense, he is arguably Cleveland’s best two-way fit to play alongside Donovan Mitchell or James Harden in backup units. Since Mitchell is more of a natural scorer at this point, I would be interested in seeing Porter play the backup point next to Mitchell, and then Harden paired with veteran sharpshooter Sam Merrill.

Craig Porter Jr. could provide a solid backup role for the Cavaliers. But, there are a couple of others who may have a higher ceiling than Porter.

proctor, cavs, cleveland, cavaliers — Nov 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Tyrese Proctor (24) defends the ball in the first quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tyrese Proctor

The 22-year-old Australian will begin his second season in the NBA after a three-year career at Duke University. Originally the 49th pick in 2025, the Cavs believe this was another steal of a pick for them, because of Proctor’s ability to space the floor and play with other great players.

Proctor played with Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel in his final season as a Blue Devil. In his 50 games as a rookie last year, Proctor was able to get lots of time with Mitchell and Harden on the floor. He shot 35% on threes, which definitely has the chance of improving as he gets more NBA reps.

Last season, Proctor played a lot of his minutes at shooting guard. But he can also run the point, like he did in college. At 6’4, he provides size, playmaking, ball handling, and the ability to shoot from long range.

In the Cavs’ final game of the regular season against the Washington Wizards, Proctor showcased all of his tools, with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, on 9-for-16 shooting.

Proctor has the potential to be able to fit on the floor with either Harden or Mitchell, because of how well rounded he is on offense. The key for him getting in Atkinson’s rotation will be his defense.

Meleek Thomas

Cleveland’s most recent draft pick has lots of Cavs fans excited. The 34th pick out of Arkansas showcased his full offensive repertoire during the Las Vegas Summer League.

Thomas led the entire Summer League in scoring, averaging 27.3 points over four games. That mark is also the highest average for any Summer League player in NBA history, who played at least four games.

34th overall pick Meleek Thomas led all players in scoring at NBA Summer League!

👏 27.3 PPG
👏 50.0 FG%
👏 43.8 3P%
👏 Summer League First Team

Year 1 with the @cavs on deck... pic.twitter.com/VyRkdthKlr
— NBA (@NBA) July 23, 2026

The 6’5 guard has shown a lot of confidence, both on and off the floor. But will his skillset fit with the veterans that Cleveland provides? Mitchell and Harden will handle the ball a lot in the backcourt, and the Cavs hope for some more initiation from big man Evan Mobley in the frontcourt.

Thomas played with Sacramento Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr. at Arkansas, so he has experience playing in loaded backcourts. But with two All-Star guards, will Thomas be able to play off the ball, as a catch and shoot player? Can he defend at the NBA level? Only time will tell for Meleek Thomas, but he certainly has the potential to provide a boost offensively that no one else on the Cavs bench can.

Opportunities Will Arise, But Who Will Make The Most of It?

In this era of Cavaliers basketball, whether it’s been Kenny Atkinson or J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach, one thing is for certain.

Everyone on the roster will get a chance during the regular season to show what they can do. But, someone will need to prove their worth to join the playoff rotation.

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