Player grades: Cavs vs Magic

Cavs continue their perfect start to the season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are flawless through six games. Let’s hand out some more grades.

These grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

22 points (9-15 shooting), 3 rebounds, 1 assist

Mitchell once again began the game red-hot from the floor. He scored 12 points in the opening minutes, galvanizing the Cavs to a quick lead. The rest of the game felt like Mitchell was coasting — but it’s only because his teammates helped him finish the job early.

Grade: A

Evan Mobley

14 points (6-11 shooting), 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks

It was a quiet night in terms of scoring but Mobley was just as impactful as he has been to start the season. He was a menace on defense, holding his primary matchup of Franz Wagner to a poor 8-19 shooting night. Mobley continues to look more comfortable in Cleveland’s offense, knocking down a three-pointer and handling the rock in inverted pick-and-rolls.

Grade: A-

Darius Garland

25 points (8-16 shooting), 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

Garland led the team in scoring tonight with 25 points in an efficient fashion. He’s done a fine job of attacking the drop, drilling three three-pointers and burying a handful of pull-up jumpers in the mid-range. Garland is playing stellar basketball on both ends of the floor.

Grade: A+

Jarrett Allen

2 points (1-3 shooting), 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

The Cavs took it straight to Orlando from the jump tonight. Allen’s impact was felt throughout even if his role in the offense was lost in translation. It was tough to feed Allen with Magic behemoth Mo Wagner dropping back on defense to protect the paint. But Allen remained superb on the glass and finished as a +12 in 28 minutes.

Grade: B

Dean Wade

5 points (1-3 shooting), 3 rebounds, 2 assists

The box scores simply don’t do Wade any justice. His contributions on defense and his ability to space the floor have played a key role in unlocking the Cavaliers to start the season. While it’s fair to wish he was providing a more tangible impact in terms of scoring, Wade’s fit in the starting lineup looks near perfect.

Grade: B

Caris LeVert

13 points (5-12 shooting), 7 assists, 3 rebounds

LeVert was the second-best player on the floor tonight for Cleveland. He immediately began dicing up Orlando’s defense and it was LeVert who generated three straight triples for his teammates to keep the Magic at bay during a brief third-quarter scare. LeVert’s versatile scoring and playmaking have made him a (super) early candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.

Grade: A+

Sam Merrill

6 points (2-3 shooting), 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Merrill has seemingly earned a place in the Cavs rotation. He’s been the first man off the bench in each game, even when his shot wasn’t falling to start the season. This peace of mind has to be a luxury compared to the inconsistent role he previously held— and tonight is an example of why that’s important. Merrill’s night began scoreless but he buried consecutive three-pointers during a key run in the second half. Trusting your best shooter to break out of a slump is something that paid off tonight — and it should bode well for the Cavs moving forward.

Grade: B

Georges Niang

7 points (3-5 shooting), 3 rebounds, 2 assists

You can’t be too harsh on a guy who shot above 50% in a double-digit victory. But while Niang has turned in some strong performances, tonight was a little lackluster. He was rough defensively and his missed field goals weren’t pretty. He ultimately registered a +10 in 16 minutes but he’s had much better games than this.

Grade: C-

Isaac Okoro

9 points (3-7 shooting), 1 rebound

Okoro has felt like the odd man out in previous games. He’s the only member of the team who hasn’t flourished under Kenny Atkinson’s guidance. Tonight, that began to shift. Okoro finally broke free in garbage time, cashing in 2-4 three-point attempts and starting to pop with the ball in his hands. We’ll see if any of this translates to real action but it was a needed sign of life for Okoro.

Grade: C+

Ty Jerome

9 points (3-9 shooting), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

Jerome is becoming a pest for opposing ball handlers. He picked Orlando’s pockets twice tonight in a second-quarter run that blew the game wide open. His timely scoring and crafty playmaking have given the Cavs juice in their second unit.

Grade: A-

Luke Travers

4 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 4 minutes

It’s tough to do more than Travers did in just his first four minutes on an NBA court. It was an impressive debut for a player who flashed a multifaceted skillset overseas. We can’t overreact to garbage time but this was as good of a showing as you could expect from a rookie. Good stuff, Luke.

Grade: A+