After hustling for an offensive rebound, Cleveland Cavaliers two-way forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin punched home a two-handed slam. He crashed from the corner and forced Houston Rockets stretch four Jabari Smith Jr. out of the way, flexing and screaming with the Rocket Arena crowd. It led to a shoving match the next possession down, when Smith misfired on a three and battled in the paint with Tomlin as Kevin Durant cashed in a second-chance triple midway through the second quarter.
When Smith pushed him out of frustration, Tomlin stood his ground. Both were issued technical fouls. There was no history between the two coming into this game. It was purely internal fire.
“I don't know 'em,” Tomlin said postgame in the locker room after the Rockets defeated the Cavs 114-104. “I mean, it's just me. That's all I can really say.”
There's an innate toughness that Tomlin has brought to the table, which the Cavs welcome.
“I loved his energy tonight, his feistiness,” said Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson. “You're hoping we discovered a real gem here. I mean, he's really showing some things. His length and athleticism, and he's tough as nails. He's not backing down from anybody. Crazy competitive.”
“We can't let anyone come in here and punk us,” De'Andre Hunter added. “Seeing that energy not only JA [Jarrett Allen], but Qwan as well is huge. Qwan brings that energy every night, so we just need more of that from him and everyone else, too.”
While Tomlin is a hard-nosed player who isn't afraid to talk trash or ruffle feathers, he is growing in front of the franchise's eyes as a player. Since last week in Miami, he has averaged 16.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 1.6 assists per 36 minutes. It's the longest stretch of consecutive rotational time he's had thus far in his blossoming NBA career.
On Wednesday, he earned his first start of the season against the jumbo-sized Rockets. It's a far different circumstance than his last one on April 13, but his approach didn't change. Whatever he did to get to this spot, he'll keep doing it and see where it goes.
“A lot of my teammates was just giving me a boost, trying to boost me up, instill a lot of confidence in me,” Tomlin said.
“He's everywhere,” Hunter added. “He's an energy guy. He can crash. He can score in the paint. He can play defense as well. His shot wasn't hitting [Wednesday], but he can shoot as well. He does everything for us, and coming off the bench with that energy and that tenacity definitely lifts us a lot.”
After doing a great job on Jaren Jackson Jr. on Saturday night, Tomlin guarded a future Hall-of-Famer in Durant and pressured the ball with Craig Porter Jr. and Lonzo Ball to force a turnover as Cleveland rallied in the third quarter.
“I definitely do remember that stop,” Tomlin said. “I got that stop. I was hype. Especially too, it was crucial. But yeah, that's what I look for, going in and try to get stops and guarding the best players.”
Tomlin attempted a season-high five threes on Wednesday, failing to knock down any. Still, on one of those, he claimed his own miss off the backboard and dunked the ball with authority. Despite those tries not falling, Atkinson is pleased with his aggressiveness, especially in momentum-swinging spots.
Cavs two-way forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin is being himself
Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is running out of words to describe how Tomlin has progressed in reading the game.
“I mean, he just doesn't stop,” Mitchell said Monday. “I told him I don't care about your mistakes, they're all aggressive. I don't care about the fouls. I don't care… Unbelievable motor, his energy. I don't tell him this, but every time I put a limit, ‘Oh, he's going to be tired,' he's there again and he's there again. I think we all feed off of that, and he doesn't understand how big that is for our group. It's just great to see him continuing to elevate his play as a whole on both ends of the floor.”
“He's an energy guy,” Evan Mobley said after the win over the Grizzlies last Saturday. “I mean, he's always high energy coming in. I love playing with him. He's out there just creating havoc for the other team. And then offensively, he's just playing basketball, doing what he knows how to do and not thinking too much. And I think that's really benefiting us right now.”
Breakout guard Craig Porter Jr. has been Tomlin's teammate from the moment he latched on with Cleveland as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He has not been shocked by Tomlin making his presence felt.
“Nae’Qwan’s always been that type of guy since the day he's got here,” Porter said. “Even before his two-way, so just seeing that is big because I try to talk to him a lot, especially being in that position before. It's just great to see another guy get their shot and just make the most of it.”
“It all starts on the defensive end,” Jarrett Allen added at Wednesday morning's shootaround. “That starts for a lot of players who are working their way up to try to find a spot in the in the NBA. He's done excellent guarding everybody that we ask him to. The fouls are going to come here and there. Getting offensive rebounds. Basically just doing everything that you can ask a player to do on each side of the floor without basically handing him the ball.”
Atkinson referred to Tomlin as a racehorse, flying around as somebody who's “all over the place” and playing like he's at an open gym in September. It doesn't matter if it's against top draft picks or multiple-time All-Stars. Tomlin is matching legitimate, proven competition right now, and that has to bode well for his self-belief.
“I was thinking that when he had 18 points the other night [against the Toronto Raptors],” Atkinson said last Saturday. “Imagine it's like, ‘All of a sudden I'm an NBA player. I can get 18 points, I can play in a big game like this and contribute, have great minutes.' I can't imagine what it does for a guy's confidence. But, I really believe in the work, right?
“I mean, summer league, he was incredible. He was elite. You said, ‘Well, summer league, sure.' And then I would say, ‘Open gym and preseason, really good.' So it shouldn't really be a surprise to us, the coaching staff. But he's building confidence. This is a speed game now. You know, it's going like this, and his profile, the way he runs the court, his length, he fits this league.”
A standout in Las Vegas, Tomlin averaged 19.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and nearly one block per contest. His performances in the desert caught the eyes of many at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center. Though there is still plenty of work to do, that maturation is paying dividends on the big stage.
Tomlin wants to be better at making shots and defending, and he's improved on that second part in the last couple of games, with only two total fouls.
But, even with room to improve, he's realizing that what he's doing is impactful he and plans to continue being a “play-hard guy.”
“High motor, energy, always had it,” Tomlin said. “Try to, any time I get in, just make something happen. I definitely feel like I'm getting better. Sometimes, mistakes happen. Just learn from 'em.”
