Cavs’ Meleek Thomas reflects on his dream after first NBA start vs. Thunder

With Peyton Watson missing the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Monday night contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Cavs turned to 2026 second-round draft pick Meleek Thomas to start for the team at the three — marking the first start in the 20-year-old’s NBA career. And Thomas showed that the moment isn’t too big for him.

In 26 minutes of play, Thomas put up 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field (3-of-9 from beyond the arc), adding five rebounds, one assist, and one steal for good measure. One thing the Cavs rookie made clear was that he isn’t shy to shoot the ball; in fact, he was second on the team in shot attempts on the night, just behind Donovan Mitchell who had 17.

This is just the start of what should be a long NBA career for Thomas, who reflected on his dream to make it to the NBA after achieving a milestone on Monday night by starting for the Cavs.

“It means everything to me. You obviously dream of getting here but then to be able to contribute to winning so early in the season by starting the game and being able to help your guys out. It just means the world to me,” Thomas said in his postgame presser, via RealCavsFans.com on X.

Thomas made a name for himself on the collegiate level as someone who can get buckets, and he showed that in his first career start. But the Cavs rookie has much to learn; he did miss a layup late in the game that would have given the Cavs the lead in what ended up being a 117-112 loss to the Thunder.

It’s not quite clear how much longer Watson would have to miss due to his latest injury. But the Cavs must have been impressed with what Thomas showed, blown layup notwithstanding, that he could earn another start on Wednesday in a rematch against the Thunder should Watson miss that game once more.