CLEVELAND — Cavaliers rookie Meleek Thomas had an NBA debut like few others Monday night, Oct. 26, against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A Pittsburgh native, Thomas was selected with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft after a standout season at Arkansas. The Cavs had traded their No. 29 pick to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for No. 34 and a 2032 second-rounder during the first round of the draft.
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Thomas said he had no idea he was going to be in Monday’s rotation so the news caught him off guard, but he was ready.
“No advanced knowledge,” he said. “Just going on the fly, staying ready, making sure I had the right tools when it came to what the other team was doing, knowing their tendencies, their plays, who they go to, what they run. Just knowing as much knowledge that I could know before potentially getting in, it just worked in my favor.
“I would just say it was an amazing feeling, a blessing, a dream come true. I give all credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was just so happy to be out there. I knew my time was going to come eventually, and I knew that when it did I was going to be ready, and I was just ecstatic to be out there.”
All Thomas did was score 16 points, shoot 60% from the field and make 4 of 5 3-pointers as the Cavs won 127-125 in overtime. It was first loss of the season for the Timberwolves.
“Heck of a performance for a rookie,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said of Thomas, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard.
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All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell called Thomas the spark that allowed the Cavs to build momentum after trailing the Wolves 60-50 at halftime.
“For him to be the spark in his first game of the year, it’s not normal,” said Mitchell, who scored a game-high 26 points in the win. “That speaks to him in preparation, his confidence, concentration, attention to detail.
“He made the most out of his moment, just trying to find ways to impact the game at the highest level. I told him the best part of his game wasn’t even the 16 points. It was just the energy. Credit to him for staying ready and continually asking questions and making sure he’s in the right spot.”
Forward Evan Mobley also credited Thomas for being the player who woke up the offense.
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“He came out with the energy, knocking down shots, playing defense, getting steals, running the floor and everyone just hopped on the bandwagon,” Mobley said. “He’s a hard worker. Every time he steps on the floor, he’s trying to make something happen.”
One of the key moments for Thomas was experiencing the Cavaliers fans after he hit a corner 3 near the end of the first quarter. The entire crowd was on its feet and roaring for Thomas.
“Man, it was everything. Electric crowd. You just feel the energy,” Thomas said. “When we were down, I felt the energy. When we went up, I felt the energy. It’s just an amazing crowd. And before I came to Cleveland, I heard about the fan base that’s going to show up for basketball, football, baseball.
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“And now that I’m here, you could tell the hoop game is real. They show up and they show out. So, I just want to do the same thing by playing my hardest out there.”
Despite the praise from both on and off the court, Thomas said what stood out for him was the Cavs’ collective effort. For him and his teammates, it was fixing their mistakes and not letting the Wolves mentally get to them.
“What I feel I’ll remember most about tonight is probably just facing adversity like we did as a team and then coming out on top,” he said. “We were down for a majority of the game, but we never really got rattled. We just kept saying get more stops, stay together.
“Everybody kept motivating each other, kept figuring out different ways to become better throughout the game, and that stood out because we’re going to build off that for the whole season.”
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As Thomas soaked in his debut, he said his main goal is to continue to be the best version of himself and to make a statement. He said he wants people to know his name and to make an unforgettable impact when he is on the court.
“It’s a lot more that I haven’t shown,” Thomas said. “It was just on my mind that every time I lace my kicks up, I’m always thinking that I’m going to do my best and have a great showing, stand out.
“I always tell myself when I hoop, I want so many people — if they didn’t know my name — to leave the gym knowing my name … because I just want them to know that kid really made an impact out there.”
And in the first game of his NBA career, Thomas did exactly that.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Meleek Thomas makes sure Cavs fans know his name in NBA debut
