Player Ratings: Cavs vs. Bulls

The aim of this first pre-season game was to see if Kenny Atkinson’s focus carried over to the live competition. He has to be happy with what he saw from the Cleveland Cavaliers starters.

The grades are based on our expectations of each of them. Plus, it’s pre-season. The process is more important than the results at this point.

Evan Mobley

19 points, 9-14 shooting, 0-2 from three, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 assist, 19 minutes

It’s difficult to leave this game behind and not be encouraged by what you saw. He didn’t hit a three-pointer and only took two. I think we’ll see him at this pace for most of the season. It’s difficult for someone to go from 1.3 per game to suddenly five or six in their career. Therefore, you should expect him to attack when he tries to attack the basket when he catches the ball in the corner rather than simply shooting it. They hope there will be progress at some point.

However, they wanted to see a powerful version of Mobley aggressively going to the basket. We saw that. Mobley was energetic about getting his own shot and putting pressure on the defense rather than just taking a backseat to the action.

Atkinson spent a lot of time in training camp and preseason talking about how he would tackle it in the transition period. The Bulls didn’t exactly play great defense, but that’s exactly what Atkinson had in mind when he said he wanted Mobley to do it more often.

The million dollar question is whether he can maintain this style of play for an extended period of time.

Grade: A++

Donovan Mitchell

12 points, 4-8 shooting, 2-3 from three, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 19 minutes

We know who Mitchell is. He once again looked like the All-NBA player we’ve grown accustomed to.

Grade: B+

Darius Garland

13 points, 5-11 shooting, 3-6 from three, 5 assists, 1 rebound, 19 minutes

Garland released the ball and made a couple of three-pointers. This is what you want to see if you want to optimize his pairing with Mitchell and two bigs.

Grade: B+

Jarrett Allen

7 points, 3-5 shots, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 19 minutes

Allen wasn’t bad, but his performance wasn’t particularly inspiring either. He mostly stayed at the dunker’s spot, executed pick-and-rolls and was a solid player who finished the game. It wasn’t too dissimilar to the way it had been used in the past. Maybe that’s just his role under Atkinson.

Grade: B

Max Strus

0 points, 1 assist, 2 rebounds, 9 minutes

When Strus was out there, he didn’t concede a three-pointer, which isn’t exactly ideal. But he showed all the different things he can do on the basketball court. He was a solid rebounder and ball mover in transition.

He left the game early due to a bruised right hip.

Grade: Incomplete

Caris LeVert

11 points, 4-10 shots, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 17 minutes

LeVert said at Media Day that he doesn’t expect his role to change all that much. At least for today he was right. There wasn’t much that was different than what we were used to.

Grade: C

Dean Wade

5 points, 2-6 shots, 1-5 from three, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 18 minutes

Wade didn’t exactly shoot, but he shot them. He was active off the ball and knocked down a jumper from a pindown. He even took a step back at the end of the first quarter.

The results weren’t there, but that’s the process you want. Wade’s defense is so valuable. He just needs to better utilize his offensive skills. He did that here.

Came on two screens in the first quarter for a mid-range jumper. He made a three-pointer at the end of the first quarter that didn’t go in, but the fact that he made that shot is a big deal.

Grade: A

Isaac Okoro

1 point, 0-6 shooting, 1 block, 12 minutes

Okoro looked like the guy we expected from the Cavs over the last few seasons, which is a little disappointing. He was used as an on-ball screener but didn’t have much of an impact. They were hoping for a slightly different role.

It didn’t help that he didn’t fire any shots.

Grade: D-

Tristan Thompson

2 points, 1-2 shots, 6 rebounds, 2 turnovers

We know who Thompson is at this point in his career. He got rebounds. He put up good canvases. He fired two shots. That’s what we expect.

Grade: C+

Sam Merrill

6 points, 1-6 shots, 1-6 from three, 2 rebounds, 5 fouls

Merrill got a chance to play with the core four in the second quarter after Strus left with an injury. He committed three fouls and wasn’t particularly effective offensively. That’s a combination you can’t live with.

Playing Merrill with the other four starters always seemed better in theory than in practice. His movement doesn’t seem to translate to a group with two big players the way bench lineups do. That has to change if he is to be used in such lineups.

Grade: D-

Georges Niang

8 points, 4-8 shots, 0-4 from three, 5 rebounds

Niang seemed to be in better shape than last season. I’m not sure that’s enough to get consistent minutes if Wade continues to look as good as he does today. Still, this is encouraging.

This would have been much better if he had hit a few threes.

Grade: C+

Ty Jerome

5 points, 2-10 shooting, 0-6 from three, 3 assists, 3 rebounds

The MVP from September was not the MVP of this game. Jerome looked like someone who hadn’t been on an NBA court in almost a year. This wasn’t a great performance from someone trying to crack the 10- or 11-man rotation. Still, it’s encouraging that he was on the pitch.

Grade: C-

Craig Porter Jr.

2 points, 0-4 shots, 0-2 from three, 5 assists, 3 rebounds

We know Porter can run an offense and go downhill. The problem is that he can’t always do that because the defense doesn’t respect his outside shot. The last three-point attempt with possession wasn’t great.

Grade: D+

Jaylon Tyson

8 points, 2-6 shots, 7 rebounds, 12 minutes

Tyson made an immediate impact on the offensive line and didn’t hesitate to shoot catch-and-shoot threes. Both are things he needs to do if he wants to compete for rotation minutes. There were pictures of the player his teammates were raving about in camp.

Grade: B

JT Thor

7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 12 minutes

Thor hit his first three-pointers of the game, which is what you want to see. This team is longing for someone who can definitely be imagined as a top-five player. Maybe Thor can be a little more than what he showed during his time with the Charlotte Hornets.

Thor also had a few nice defensive plays, including an impressive late block and steal at the top of the key that almost led to a highlight dunk.

Grade: B+

Luke Travers

4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 8 minutes

Travers showed some of his versatility. He came in and was the checker in the pick-and-roll. He forced the change and then punished the imbalance at the post. That’s the kind of thing you want to see from him.

Travers was always in the right place on both ends of the field and consistently made plays. Just an overall impressive performance, minus the one bad rally that prevented it from being an A-1

Grade: A-

Jules Bernard

2 points, 0-2 shooting, 1 rebound, 7 minutes

Bernard wasn’t the most impactful player in the limited minutes he had. At the end of the fourth period, he had a nice shot to the basket that resulted in a foul. However, nearly turning the ball over in a somewhat reckless attack on the basket with the shot clock turned off in a one-possession game wasn’t ideal.

Grade: C