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Nae’Qwan Tomlin’s emergence as a helpful fill-in rotation player was a pleasant surprise for the Cleveland Cavaliers. This led to his two-way deal being converted to a standard contract midway through the season.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. A “B” represents that player meeting their standard.
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Regular Season Stats
Making the jump from a two-way deal to a standard contract doesn’t happen as often as you’d think.
There are 90 NBA two-way slots available, and far more than 90 players who occupy those positions throughout the season. Since these are non-guaranteed deals, teams are pretty quick to cut and sign players to these deals.
This year, only 31 players had their two-way contracts converted to a standard deal for at least the rest of the season. Tomlin was among that group.
Tomlin’s journey to this spot was unconventional to say the least. He didn’t play organized basketball until college, and then played for four teams in five years. Three of those years were spent at smaller juco schools.
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He made the Cleveland Charge’s roster heading into the 2024-25 season, but wasn’t a regular rotation at the start of the year. He eventually worked his way into the rotation, then became a starter, and ended the year on a two-way deal.
That progression continued this season. Tomlin worked his way up after the Cavs were decimated with injuries. He made the most of those opportunities as he became a fixture in the rotation throughout the season, and was even a spot starter in three games.
Tomlin’s athleticism and hustle stood out on a team that needed both of those qualities. He was an impactful offensive rebounder and an explosive finisher in the paint when given a runway to do so.
The increased playing time also exposed some of the shortcomings in Tomlin’s game.
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First of all, the outside shooting is an issue. Tomlin spent many of his half-court possessions stationed in the corner, but was mostly a non-threat as a shooter. He finished last among qualified forwards in corner three-point percentage as he knocked down just 24% of his…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cavs-final-report-card-nae-100000808.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-13 10:00:00
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