Brandon \u201cScoop B\u201d Robinson<\/a>, Tomlin outlined the moment his basketball approach shifted from recreational to professional focus during his prep school years.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen I took it seriously was when I went to prep school. I went to Strength and Motion International in San Antonio Texas. That was George Gervin\u2019s school and so that\u2019s when I started taking it seriously,\u201d Tomlin said.<\/p>\n
The Cavaliers forward also described the players who shaped his early development as a fan and student of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Bron. In the beginning, though. LeBron and then eventually I started watching guys like KD and [James] Harden and stuff like that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tomlin pointed to LeBron James\u2019 early Cleveland and Miami years as key reference points in his understanding of elite performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely when he was in Cleveland before he left and went to Miami,\u201d Tomlin said when asked about when he studied James closely.<\/p>\n
He added that physical tools and leadership defined what stood out most during that period.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust his size and his leadership,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Representing New York City basketball also played a role in his motivation, particularly coming from Harlem.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was one of my motivations, you know? Being one of the guys to make it out of New York and being able to stick,\u201d Tomlin said.<\/p>\n
He also referenced local figures who influenced him growing up in the borough.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuys like Isiah Washington\u2026 Alimoe (RIP). He\u2019s from Harlem. Guys like that, those are the guys I watched growing up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tomlin admitted he did not grow up closely following the Knicks, though he acknowledged the impact of Carmelo Anthony\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ain\u2019t gonna lie, I really didn\u2019t grow up a Knicks fan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Now in Cleveland, Tomlin described the value of learning from veterans on a roster led by Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get to experience all this knowledge from guys like Don, Harden and even that haven\u2019t been in the league longer like Dean Wade. That\u2019s my vet right there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He credited both NBA and G League development for shaping his current role.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe development that they had with the Cleveland Charge to get me to this point was really good,\u201d Tomlin said.<\/p>\n
His identity remains centered on effort and pace of play within the Cavaliers rotation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a guy that goes out there and plays hard every time\u2026 a high energy guy, a high motor guy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tomlin also highlighted Rucker Park as a key testing ground that prepared him for professional competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a good atmosphere out there\u2026 The lights are never too bright,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Cavaliers forward is part of Cleveland\u2019s rotation during the 2025-26 season, contributing across the regular season and early playoff minutes as the team navigates its series against Toronto.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo: Cleveland Cavaliers\/X Nae\u2019Qwan Tomlin\u2019s path from Harlem to the NBA continues to draw attention as the Cleveland Cavaliers prepare for a decisive Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors in their first-round series tied 2-2. In a conversation with Brandon \u201cScoop B\u201d Robinson, Tomlin outlined the moment his basketball approach shifted from recreational to professional […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":119351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119350"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}