Player Grades: Cavs at Timberwolves – Backcourt shines bright

On January 19, 2025By Littum

The Cleveland Cavaliers finished their road trip with a quality win over Minnesota Timberwolves. This was a good way to respond after a nasty loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The ratings are based on our expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

36 points (12-27 shooting), 8 rebounds, 7 assists

Perhaps no one needed to bounce back from the previous game more than Mitchell. Mitchell lined up against the Thunder – but against the Wolves he was cash from the start.

Mitchell made a clear effort to assert himself in this game. He aggressively came downhill to the rim and relentlessly searched for room for his three-point jumper. This was Mitchell’s highest scoring game since November and his second highest scoring of the season.

Grade: A

Darius Garland

29 points (8-19 shooting), 6 assists, 5 rebounds

The Cavaliers no longer rely on Mitchell to make the magic happen every night. That’s largely because Garland is capable of igniting the team all by himself. His second-half scoring flurry set the stage for Cavalanche to eventually bury Minnesota in the fourth quarter.

Garland’s processing speed has never been better. He sees the game with more clarity than in his previous All-Star campaign. Tonight was a great example of this as Garland manipulated the Wolves defense and picked them apart at key times of the game.

Grade: A+

Jarrett Allen

14 points (6-9 shots), 4 rebounds, 1 block

Allen was quiet tonight. But not necessarily in a bad way. The Cavaliers ran a 2-3 zone most of the night and dared Rudy Gobert to beat them. That meant Allen wasn’t in the best position to clean the glass like he normally would.

Offensively, Allen had the challenge of scoring over Gobert. The Cavs’ offense felt much more centered in the backcourt, which is why Allen filled in at first when his number was called. It was an all-in-one effective night, even if Allen wasn’t too remarkable.

Grade: B

Dean Wade

8 points (3-8 shots), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Wade, as always, was solid on defense. He spent his fair share of time in the post against Gobert and held up most of the night. Wade’s versatility is something no Cavs fan should take for granted.

You always wanted to see Wade get going from behind the arc (2-7 three-point shooting tonight). But he threw down a mean putback dunk in the first half to tie it all up.

Grade: B+

Max Strus

5 points (2-7 shooting), 6 rebounds, 3 assists

This was not the night for Strus. He struggled to find separation at the three-point line, burying just 1-of-5 attempts. He filled in as a connective playmaker and chipped in on the glass – but we’ve seen better games from Strus.

Grade: D+

Caris LeVert

2 points (1-6 shots), 4 rebounds, 3 assists

LeVert started this game in place of Evan Mobley and well…he didn’t deliver anything you’d hope to see. His shots were off (including several missed layups) and he didn’t create many advantages off the dribble. The defense wasn’t terrible – but it wasn’t great either.

Grade: D

George Niang

15 points (5-7 shots), 10 rebounds, 1 assist

Every time Niang grabs boards, it will skew his character towards the positive. But when he adds 15 points (3-5 three-point shooting) while matching his career-high with 10 rebounds? That’s all you can ask for.

I can’t say it was his best performance in a Cavalier uniform. But it was definitely one of the better ones.

Grade: A-

Shut up Jerome

15 points (5-7 shooting), 4 assists, 4 rebounds

The Cavaliers can thank Jerome for a handful of their wins this season. Tonight wasn’t a typhoon, but his burst of scoring off the bench absolutely turned the tide of this game. Jerome hit a pair of momentum-shifting three-pointers that played a role in the clinching Cavalanche.