Cleveland Cavaliers big man Thomas Bryant was one of the few bright spots for the wine and gold on Wednesday night. Despite his Cavs' lowly 122-110 loss to a severely short-handed Portland Trail Blazers squad on the second night of a back-to-back, Bryant provided plenty of pop and fight off the bench in his best outing yet.
“We talk about a guy who hasn't gotten consistent minutes,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said postgame. “I've been dripping his minutes in, and [Wednesday], I just felt like, man, we need his energy, and we just kind of went with it. So that bodes well. You’re playing big games; that guy's played in big games. He's deserved to play earlier, quite honestly. So I'm glad we went with him. I was really happy. No one works harder on our team than him.”
Bryant hasn't played all that much, but when he has, the physicality has picked up. Whether it's been an intense block, a ferocious dunk, or a textbook box out, he's made the most of the little time he's gotten. On Wednesday, he emphatically swatted a Duop Reath dunk attempt and hit timely shots during a comeback. The veteran big man was visibly pumped up and egged the crowd on to get Rocket Arena going.
He scored 14 points, pulled down six boards, and had two rejections in 13 minutes.
“I've always tried to pride myself on giving that energy, contagious energy to my teammates in a great way,” Bryant said. “I'm just happy my guys are allowing me to do that for them. Being out there, I tell those guys I've got their backs, and I feel like they believe me, and I feel like they know that for sure.”
With Larry Nance Jr. sidelined with a right calf strain, Bryant will have opportunities to play more. That'll help him find his jump shot in addition to the point-blankers, which happened against Portland with a season-high three triples on four attempts.
“It energizes me because I finally saw one go in after being in the gym for hours,” Bryant said. “I think it gives the team some confidence, too, when you've got a big out there that can go in the paint and also step out and hit the three.”
If the Cavs are going to turn off cruise control, Bryant's presence can undoubtedly be a part of the solution. It starts in the huddles during timeouts and in the locker room.
“Just keep playing,” Bryant said of his message. “The game isn't going to be perfect sometimes, and sometimes there's going to be ups and downs, but we've still got to keep fighting. We've still got to keep playing and just try and get that joy back.”
Welcomed with open arms, Bryant appreciates that the Cavs recognize his importance.
“It feels great, especially coming with a team that's had success before I've gotten here,” Bryant said. “For me, I'm just trying to jell and just trying to bring some contagious energy and be effective as much as I can with a team that's had so much firepower for years. I'm just trying to find my way to help improve it.
“It's very optimistic right there. It's still technically early in the season. We can still figure this out. We're going on the right path. It is never going to be perfect. We've still got to keep going on that pathway right there, the 82-game season. It's very grueling. It's a long season. But all of this builds up until the end of February, the end of March, and going into the playoffs and everything. I feel like this is a great battle test for us.”
