Kenny Atkinson praises undrafted forward for his energy in Cavs last three games

In another difficult stretch for the Cleveland Cavaliers, one player is making his statement in the last three games.

Nov 2, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

In the midst of another period of injury setbacks for the Cleveland Cavaliers, an unlikely and unsung hero is stepping up.

While Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are constant talking points for the Cleveland Cavaliers, an undrafted forward has been showing his worth in the last three games, earning a call for more minutes, which he is getting.

And in the Cavs’ latest victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, where they didn’t play at their best until a 32-16 fourth quarter ambush, led by Mitchell, who ended with 30 points, led to victory, Nae’Quan Tomlin was singled out for his energy and hard work.

Until Tomlin was thrust into extra minutes against the Heat on Wednesday, he had only played a total of seven minutes and had only scored six points.

💥 Making an impact.@ChargeCLE | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/TPymUhmE1c

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) November 16, 2025

Since then, he has averaged 19.3 minutes, scoring 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds a game, including 18 points in the loss to Toronto on Thursday.

“I was thinking that when he had 18 points the other night,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said.

“Can you imagine, you know, it's like all of a sudden, ‘Man, I'm, I'm an NBA player. I can get 18 points. I can play in a big game like this and contribute, have great minutes’.

“I can't imagine what it does for a guy's confidence. I really believe in the work. I think of the Summer League. He was incredible; he was elite. And you say, ‘Well, it's summer league.’  I would say open gym and preseason really good, so it shouldn't really be a surprise to us, the coaching staff.

“But he's building confidence, and kind of what we were talking about before the game. This is a speed game now. You know, it's going like this and [with] his profile, the way he runs the court and his length, he fits this league.”

And the timing of his performances could not come at a better time, as Jaylon Tyson, Darius Garland, and Max Strus are all missing, resulting in a significantly shuffled Cavs lineup so far this season, with several players missing games in patches.

Tomlin has taken advantage, thanks to his intensity, incredible work ethic, and imaginative offensive play, not rushing into shots and looking confident when on the ball.

Atkinson admitted after the Grizzlies’ win that the team lacked juice, and players like Tomlin helped lift Cleveland when they needed it most.

“This is an early lull,” he said. “I thought we were going to come out with much, much more energy. We didn't.

“So, I said [we] got to give these guys a little more rest. We'll practice a little later tomorrow. People can sleep in, get our legs under us, and I thought cognitively we weren't there.”