Player Grades: Cavs at Raptors
Hunter made his impact felt.
The Cleveland Cavaliers steamrolled the Toronto Raptors in a wire-to-wire victory. Newcomer De’Andre Hunter began to grow comfortable in his second game with the Cavs.
Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
De’Andre Hunter
18 points (6-12 shooting), 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 fouls
The Cavaliers traded for Hunter because they’ve had a gaping hole at small forward for multiple years. Even so, they stuck with Max Strus in the starting lineup tonight and had Hunter come off the bench in a sixth-man role he has flourished in this season. The results were positive.
Hunter showcased his length and athleticism on both ends of the floor. Whether it be skying to contest a shot — or rising above his defender to bury a jumper. Hunter fits any lineup the Cavs use him in. That’s quite the luxury to have.
We’d like to see him avoid foul trouble moving forward (9 fouls in two games). And, we are still waiting for his first assist in a Cavalier uniform.
Grade: A-
Donovan Mitchell
21 points (6-16 shooting), 6 rebounds, 5 assists
The Cavs didn’t get much production from their starting backcourt tonight. Mitchell was off the mark for most of the night and Darius Garland wasn’t much more efficient. Yet, the Cavs hung 131 points on Toronto and seemingly had no issue generating offense.
This is a testament to the Cavalier depth (more on this later). But Mitchell and Garland deserve some credit, as well. They’ve had no issue taking a backseat when the others are rolling. And you can rest assured that life is made easier for everyone in Cleveland when Mitchell is on the floor — even if it isn’t showing up in the box score.
Grade: B+
Darius Garland
15 points (7-15 shooting), 8 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals
Garland couldn’t get it going from deep (1-8) tonight. Other than that, he was relatively flawless. The Cavs’ offense stayed in a flow state in large part to his 8 assists and Garland was hyper-active on defense with three steals.
A more efficient shooting night from Garland could have resulted in a 40+ point victory for the Cavs. But that’s just being greedy.
Grade: A-
Evan Mobley
12 points (6-11 shooting), 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks
Mobley has been a box-score stuffer this week. His game of 28 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks and 2 steals against Minnesota was the first of its kind this season. He was on pace for a similar night in Toronto before the game got totally out of hand.
The Cavs lead ballooned to an absurd amount before Mobley had a chance to pad his stats. But this was another game of complete dominance from the first-time All-Star. The Raptors join a growing list of NBA teams who have found no solution for Mobley on either end of the floor.
Grade: A+
Max Strus
14 points (1-6 shooting), 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
Strus had 12 points in rapid succession to start this game. He was en fuego from deep, canning four three-pointers to give the Cavs an early lead. While that fire began to dissipate as the game went on — his influence on the offense didn’t Strus dished six assists and maintained the defensive integrity that made him a team-high +33 in 26 minutes.
Grade: A+
Jarrett Allen
13 points (5-6 shooting), 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
The combination of Allen and Mobley has left opponents decimated if they can’t salvage a respectable frontcourt to deter them. Cleveland delivered a beatdown on the glass and Allen contributed heavily. His two blocks helped hold a lid on the rim against Toronto and his efficient scoring is backbreaking when it’s happening in tandem with the Cavaliers’ three-point shooting.
Grade: A
Sam Merrill
16 points (6-13 shooting), 2 rebounds, 2 steals
It feels like Merrill has officially arrived. He had been struggling to replicate last season’s magic up to this point — but recently, he’s been a barn burner from deep. He torched the Raptors as soon as he lept off the bench, canning four triples in his first stint on the floor.
Cleveland’s offense grows that much scarier when Merrill is applying maximum pressure on opponents.
Grade: A+
Jaylon Tyson
8 points (3-3 shooting), 1 assist, 17 minutes
This was a different game than we are used to seeing from Tyson. He didn’t grab a rebound but converted all three of his field goal attempts. He opened up with a catch-and-shoot three that is encouraging for his projected role in Cleveland. While he didn’t grab a board, it wasn’t for lack of trying.
The Cavs may rely on Tyson more than anticipated now that Georges Niang is in Atlanta. So far, the rook has made the most of his limited opportunities.
Grade: B
Craig Porter
7 points (2-5 shooting), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
This game started rough for Porter. An errant three-point attempt and an even worse mid-range jumper had this trending toward disaster.
As the night went on, Porter returned to the basics. His athleticism popped as he broke up a transition alley-oop attempt and then shortly after, he finished an and-one play. Porter didn’t provide any Ty-Phoons but he did a solid enough job for the Cavs to coast to victory without worrying about how to replace Ty Jerome’s minutes.