Kenny Atkinson makes bold claim about Cavaliers rising star Nae’Qwan Tomlin

The Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to keep pace with the Detroit Pistons for first in the Eastern Conference, as they are behind in fourth place with a 12-7 record.

Cleveland is coming off a 110-99 loss to the Toronto Raptors, who are currently second in the East at 13-5. Some good came out of that game as the Cavaliers got a stellar performance from one of their young players, forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin, who knocked six of his eight shots in for 14 points, four rebounds, and one steal in the loss.

After the game, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson liked what he saw out of the second-year player out of Memphis. Atkinson went as far as to say Tomlin might have earned some more playing time with the starters.

"I can’t take him off the floor. You want him on the floor because he can defend his position, got great energy. He can get back in transition and do damage in offensive transition. I’m just pinching myself because that guy is gonna help us in big games. I feel like he belongs even with the starters out there."

Kenny Atkinson Postgame After Loss vs Raptors:

“[1:37, Nae’Qwan Tomlin] I can’t take him off the floor. You want him on the floor because he can defend his position, got great energy, he can get back in transition and do damage in offensive transition. I’m just pinching myself… pic.twitter.com/53ntTRX9dm
— Dylan🔮🦃 (@dillybar2145__) November 25, 2025

Tomlin's 32 minutes on the floor against the Raptors is the most he has had all season. He was a significant factor from a shooting perspective, converting two of his three three-point shots.

This season, Tomlin is averaging 7.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He is currently shooting 51.9% from the field in 2025.

While Tomlin has shown significant improvement in shot selection and overall shooting, he's also been a force in the paint. From blocking shots to grabbing the rebound, he's been doing it at a higher volume than Cavs fans saw a season ago.

With the team still early in the season, Atkinson is still feeling out his roster and finding the best rotations. Tomlin is making it easy for his head coach to start including him in games more often.

It's becoming clear that Atkinson views Tomlin as a key piece for this franchise going forward and might even see the second year forward as a starter for the Cavaliers soon enough. If not a start, he's a perfect sixth man option for the team.

Atkinson has made it clear that he's going to play Tomlin more often on the team. It's almost a stern warning to the rest of the NBA that Tomlin is about to have the breakout season Cavaliers fans were hoping for.