Cavs, With Zero First-Round Picks, Claim Summer League Title

It was just the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, so to most fans it probably means nothing. And that’s OK.

But to the men sporting “Cavs” on their jerseys, it was everything.

That’s right, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 2023 summer league champs, thanks to a resounding 99-78 win over the Rockets in the final game on Monday. 

For the record, the Cavs finished 6-0. 

For the record, only one of those games was close.

And for the record, the Cavs didn’t have a single first-round pick on the roster. In fact, their leading scorer, returning guard Sam Merrill, was the last pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. That would be No. 60 overall, for those keeping score at home.

The Cavs are hoping that Merrill — who went for 27 points in the title game — can provide some offense off the bench when the real season gets here, perhaps joining newcomer Ty Jerome to offer some outside shooting in reserve in the backcourt.

Also big on this day was big man Isaiah Mobley, the older brother of promising young forward Evan Mobley. But in the past 11 days, Isaiah made a name for himself, with 28 points and 12 rebounds in the title game.

Of course, most eyes were on forward Emoni Bates, a one-time highly touted high schooler who the Cavs selected with the No. 49 overall pick this year. If players could still enter the draft out of high school, odds are, Bates would’ve been a top-five pick.

But that was two years ago, and now Bates has to prove himself all over again. He got off to a decent start in Vegas after signing a two-way contract — finishing in double digits in scoring in every game. On Monday, he went 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Are there still some things on which Bates (and everyone) need to work? Why, sure. That’s what summer league is for. It’s to help you recognize your weaknesses, get back to work on them, and start dreaming of helping the real team win.

For this group of Cavs, this past week-and-half showed that at the very least, they have the winning part down.

“It was incredible. Amazing group of guys here,” said summer coach Mike Gerrity said, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “We preached to be the most selfless and competitive team on the floor every night. These guys carried it out. They played for each other and when you do that, great things happen.”

Your Summer League Championship Game MVP‼️@CaesarsSports | #Ad | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/gMUATioq9i

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) July 18, 2023