Arkansas coach John Calipari got exactly what he expected from Meleek Thomas on Sunday.
The Cavaliers guard torched the Detroit Pistons for a game-high 30 points, even though Cleveland still dropped the contest 103-94.
Calipari happened to be sitting with Thomas’ family for the game and later jumped on the Prime Video call with former Kentucky guard John Wall to talk up his old point guard live on air.
The numbers backed up all that hype. Thomas connected on 10 of 24 shots from the field, splashed 4 of 10 threes and tacked on four rebounds, seven assists and four steals in 34 minutes of work.
Sunday marked only Thomas’ second appearance as a pro. He’d already flashed his scoring touch Friday with 20 points in his Summer League opener against Indiana, giving him a two-game scoring average of 25 points as a Hog turned pro.
Once the final horn sounded, Calipari let his feelings fly on social media. “He made all the right plays!” Calipari posted. “I am more convinced now that people are going to regret passing on him!”
His praise didn’t stop there. While calling the game, Calipari kept pointing at the screen every time Thomas scored.
“This kid right here, people missed on him,” he said. “Don’t make that! Don’t do that! They missed on him.”
Wall chimed in that Thomas belonged in the first round, and Calipari still can’t get over Cleveland trading its own first-round selection to move down.
“I’m still mad at Cleveland, because they traded their first-round pick,” he said. “What are you doing?”
Razorbacks flashing pro potential in Vegas
Thomas wasn’t the only name buzzing out of Las Vegas this weekend.
Adou Thiero threw down a jam that made SportsCenter’s top 10 list as the Lakers knocked off Oklahoma City 96-84 Friday night.
Thiero’s stat line matched the highlight. He piled up 20 points, four boards, three steals and two blocks, starting with an early alley-oop finish off a pass from William Kyle before capping the night with a breakaway windmill dunk.
Across two Vegas contests, he’s putting up 17.5 points a night on 46.2 percent shooting to go with four rebounds, 2.5 assists, two steals and a block.
No. 7 pick Darius Acuff also had a solid Friday, scoring 19 points on 6 of 20 shooting with seven assists, three boards and two steals as Sacramento beat the Clippers.
He wasn’t fully satisfied with how he got there.
“I’m just trying to be more efficient,” Acuff said. “I don’t know what’s going on (shooting), but I’m just trying to get my assist numbers up and get those guys involved. They’re great players. As long as we keep getting wins, that’s good for us.”
Things got tougher Sunday when Acuff and the Kings ran into No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa’s Wizards squad, plus lockdown defense from former ACC Defensive Player of the Year Reece Beekman.
Acuff finished with just 12 points on 4 of 14 shooting, adding four assists, five turnovers and a block in a 104-85 loss.
What comes next for the pro Hogs
The Cavaliers get a two-day breather before hosting New Orleans Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. on Prime Video.
Sacramento is idle Monday and heads into Tuesday’s 5 p.m. matchup with Brooklyn, also airing on Prime Video.
With 11 former Arkansas players spread across Summer League rosters, the program’s NBA presence keeps growing stronger by the week.
Key takeaways
- John Calipari sat courtside and praised Meleek Thomas on social media after his 30-point Summer League game.
- Adou Thiero threw down a SportsCenter top 10 dunk while helping the Lakers beat the Thunder.
- Darius Acuff shined in his Friday debut but hit a rough patch Sunday against Reece Beekman and the Wizards.
