Player Grades: Cavs vs. Hawks
The Cavs offense carried them to an easy victory.
We may be able to put away the narrative that the Atlanta Hawks are a bad matchup for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs beat themselves in both of the previous games. On Thursday, they didn’t and ran away with a stress-free 137-115 victory.
Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
24 points (8-16 shooting), 6 assists, 1 steals, 1 rebound
The Cavs have often embodied the energy that Mitchell brings. That happened again as he was aggressive from the jump and active on the defensive end. When he comes out with intensity and focus, his teammates usually follow.
Mitchell doesn’t need to be a high-volume scorer to lead this team. He’s shown that all season. He does, however, need to be aggressive like he was on Thursday. That was seen early on and most importantly in the third quarter when he helped put the game away with 12 points in that frame alone.
It was exactly what the Cavs needed on the second night of a back-to-back.
Grade: A
Darius Garland
26 points (11-20 shooting), 7 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds
Garland quickly showed why he was an All-Star instead of Trae Young. He was leaps and bounds better on both sides of the ball en route to another impressive performance.
It seems like we say it after every game, but he continues to play with a level of control that allows the offensive attack to just click into place. There’s a reason the offense came into this game 7.7 points better per 100 possessions (93rd percentile) with Garland on the floor compared to when he’s off. Unsurprisingly, that’s the best differential on the team.
Grade: A
Evan Mobley
16 points (7-12 shooting), 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
Mobley came out strong scoring 14 of his 16 points in the first half. His assertiveness allowed the Cavs to get off to the strong start that they did.
He didn’t have the same scoring impact in the second half, but that’s fine. The offense had more than enough scoring. His defensive impact, however, was there from start to finish.
Grade: B+
Jarrett Allen
9 points (3-3 shooting), 15 rebounds, 2 assists
The other three members of the core four had it going offensively. Naturally, Allen took a backseat in a game they didn’t need his offensive production.
He didn’t take a backseat in the rebounding department which was much needed against a team that beat them up on the glass in their last two meetings.
Grade: B+
Max Strus
11 points (4-5 shooting), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
The Cavs needed Strus to provide outside shooting to be a functional offense last season. Now, they feel unstoppable when he starts hitting a few outside shots.
We saw that at the start of the second half when he opened up with a putback layup and then provided back-to-back threes to make it an 18-point game after the Hawks cut the deficit to single digits just before the break.
That’s the kind of stuff you want to see from Strus on the offensive side of the court.
Grade: A
Georges Niang
10 points (2-6 shooting), 3 rebounds
Niang struggled to find his shot, but you can’t be too critical when the offense was this proficient.
Grade: C+
Ty Jerome
20 points (9-11 shooting), 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Unlike most of his good games, this one didn’t come from an outrageous outside shooting performance. He did his damage by knifing to the basket and creating from there.
Jerome is on a hot streak. We’ll see how long it’ll continue, but these are the type of performances the Cavs need with Caris LeVert out for as long as he’s been.
Grade: A
Sam Merrill
4 points (2-6 shooting), 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
The missed threes are still an issue (0-4 from deep), but Merrill found ways to make an impact with his steals and his block. That’s an improvement from what we’ve seen recently.
Grade: B-
Craig Porter Jr.
2 points (1-1 shooting), 2 assists
The Cavs needed some energy. Porter provided that even if he didn’t do anything spectacular. This is basically what you hope for when he’s getting just a few spot minutes on the second night of a back-to-back.
Grade: B-
Jaylon Tyson
15 points (6-9 shooting), 5 rebounds, 1 block
Tyson’s offensive off-ball activity remains impressive. He has continually shown that he knows when to cut, and when he gets a chance to finish, he usually does.
The Cavs need role players on a team with two All-Star guards. Tyson seems to understand that he needs to make an impact without the ball in his hands and is doing it very well.
The defense is still a work in progress—although he got an awful whistle tonight. The same off-ball instincts haven’t exactly translated over when he’s guarding away from the play.
Still, it’s been an incredibly impressive two games from the rookie.