With the 56th pick of the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Luke Travers. Travers, out of Australia, has played in three summer league seasons now, but has yet to play in the NBA.
In a post-summer league mini-camp media outing a few weeks ago, Travers was asked what he was hoping to show in the season following a summer league championship. Travers responded: “The same thing I kinda show every year, that I’m gonna go out there and play as hard as I can. Do the little things, obviously. The goal for me is to be a good role player in the NBA.”
Despite the extensions of three of the four core-four this offseason, Cleveland has yet to make any additions to the team. Could this finally be Travers’s time to debut in the big leagues?
Here’s a look at Travers’ fit in Cleveland including his play in Australia and in the NBA.
Travers started his career playing in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL). Making his debut in the 2019-20 season with the Perth Wildcats, he averaged 1.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
While this isn’t particularly impressive, he has developed into an overall sound player. Last season he averaged 12 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. His 12 points per game was the 29th most in the league.
| Travers’ NBL Stats | |||
| Season | PPG | RPG | APG |
| 2021-22 | 7.8 | 5.4 | 2.3 |
| 2022-23 | 9.8 | 5.6 | 3.0 |
| 2023-24 | 12.0 | 7.6 | 1.9 |
Travers isn’t a franchise-altering caliber of player, but he is proving to be just as good if not better than most of his peers in the NBL. While this is certainly a good sign, how has his play been in the NBA?
Representing Cleveland in the last three seasons of the NBA’s Summer League, Travers has been a primary wing for their teams. Playing in Las Vegas, he’s averaging 7.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 points per game. This is also on a field goal percentage that’s yet to dip below 48 percent.
| Travers’ NBA Summer League Stats | |||||
| Season | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% |
| 2022 | 5 | 6.6 | 4.6 | 1.8 | 48.0 |
| 2023 | 6 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 2.0 | 48.7 |
| 2024 | 4 | 8.3 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 48.1 |
Travers plays with the kind of physicality that embodies Cleveland (and Ohio) sports. He plays hard, and does whatever he can to help his team win. He may not be the player who jumps off the box score, but he is the player who energizes the team with his play.
Still having yet to make any off-season additions, it’s getting more likely that the roles will be filled internally. Travers could very well be looked to fill a similar role to Georges Niang. Albeit without the expectations of stretching the floor. Travers has improved his outside shot, but it’s not developed enough to be considered a threat.
With his stated mentality, and the skillset and energy he brings, he seems like a player who would function perfectly alongside guys like Niang, Marcus Morris Sr and Tristan Thompson. Players who, last season, were able to come off the bench and turn a game’s momentum with their determination and hard-nosed play.
As the season grows nearer, and teams continue to take shape, fans will have a clearer idea of what this Cleveland squad will look like. As more players are signing with their respective teams, Travers could see his ambitions of playing in the NBA come to fruition as he becomes a likely candidate to join the 2024-25 Cavaliers.
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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
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