Cavs May Have Found Something Special In Two Young Players

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been searching for bright spots in the early stages of the 2026-27 NBA campaign. They are off to a slow start with a 6-7 record following their 133-121 loss to the Miami Heat in an NBA Cup game on Friday.

In that contest, reserves Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas continued their strong play. They combined for 34 points and six assists off the bench, making 12 of 17 field-goal attempts, including seven of 12 from 3-point range.

According to analyst Danny Cunningham, the Cavs may have found something special in two young players, who have been “awesome” so far this season.

“I think it’s become so clear — even this early in the season — that the Cavs have something potentially special with Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas. Both of them have been so awesome,” Cunningham posted.

I think it's become so clear — even this early in the season — that the #Cavs have something potentially special with Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas. Both of them have been so awesome.

— Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham) November 14, 2026

Proctor was a second-round pick out of Duke in the 2025 NBA Draft. He played in 50 games as a rookie, averaging 5.4 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 rebounds in about 11 minutes per contest.

This season, those numbers are up to 8.1 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. The 22-year-old has also increased his field goal percentage to 53.1 percent from 41.3 percent, and he is shooting 52.8 percent from 3-point range this season after making 35.1 percent of those attempts last year.

Thomas was a second-round pick out of Arkansas in the 2026 draft, landing with the Cavaliers via the Sacramento Kings. In his first 10 NBA games, the 20-year-old is averaging 13.0 points, 1.4 assists, and 2.3 rebounds, playing more than 22 minutes per game. He is shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 47.3 percent from long distance.

The ascension of Proctor and Thomas has been necessary, with Jaylen Tyson dealing with an ankle injury and Sam Merrill sidelined by an elbow issue. Tyson made his first start of the season on Friday with Evan Mobley sidelined by a toe injury.

Tyson missed six games before returning to play in Cleveland’s 115-107 victory against New York on Wednesday. He scored just three points on 1-for-5 shooting in 23 minutes before posting 16 points against the Heat in 30 minutes of action.

Once the Cavs are back at full strength and playing better, they should be able to take even more advantage of the breakthroughs by Proctor and Thomas.