AUSTRALIAN guard Tyrese Proctor continues to shine in the NBA Summer League. Fresh off being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he dropped a 35-piece as his side fell to the Sacramento Kings earlier today.

Proctor has been one of the best performers in the Summer League over the first couple of weeks, taking on a big role for Cleveland at the shooting guard position. He dropped 14 points in his Summer League debut earlier this week, and has been showing why he was considered a top-10 talent this time 12 months ago.

It was a back and forth start to the match, with the scores tied after the opening frame, before the Kings broke things open with a 27-17 second period. Although the Cavaliers tried to fight back in the final two quarters, they still fell eight points short of pulling off the comeback.

Although the result did not go Cleveland’s way, the performance of Proctor was one of the biggest takeaways of the match, showcasing how damaging the Aussie can be on the scoring front if given plenty of touches.

Sacramento Kings (94) def. Cleveland Cavaliers (86)

Tyrese Proctor – 35 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals

It was arguably the best performance of Proctor’s career across both his NCAA career with the Duke Blue Devils and his short time with the Cavaliers, dropping a game-high figure in the points column to nearly drag his side to victory.

He got the Cavaliers on the scoreboard with a couple of free throws to start the match, being rewarded for an aggressive drive into the paint to kick off Cleveland’s offence. The Aussie then showed no fear on the next possession, pulling up from behind the arc to nail his first triple of the match. Proctor then found a cutting teammate to record his first assist of the contest, before heading to the bench for a short rest.

He returned to the fold later in the quarter, and nailed a nice floater six feet from the rim, before dishing out another well-timed assist to ensure the Cavaliers had the match tied up at the first change, doing a lot of the heavy lifting offensively.

Although he was quiet in the opening minutes of the second frame, he came alive after a rest midway through the term. He was able to generate some offence from the charity stripe to get himself going, before nailing his second triple of the match in a much needed play for Cleveland. Proctor then finished at the rim through contact and converted the and-one to keep the Cavaliers within striking distance at the main change.

The Aussie guard was a big part of why the Cavaliers were able to wrestle back momentum in the third frame, getting his team off to the perfect start with some tremendous production. He nailed a pair of excellent finishes inside, with the latter being another converted and-one play. Proctor then showed his passing creativity again, setting up a teammate for an open look to keep Cleveland within three points at the final break.

He had already produced a strong showing over the first three quarters, Proctor erupted in the final quarter, putting the Cavaliers on his back with a period for the ages. He scored 15 points in just over six minutes of play, finding baskets from all three levels, whether it was pulling up from three in transition, nailing fadeaway jumpers or finishing inside the paint, he was unstoppable to start the fourth, carrying the Cavaliers as the Kings looked to break away. He had to deal with some increased defensive coverage in the final minutes, and Sacramento ended up running away with it, but he still did remarkably well to keep his team in it.

Proctor finished the contest with a whopping 35 points on 11/24 shooting from the field, with four of those makes coming from behind the arc. It was the kind of performance that perfectly demonstrated how much he has improved as a scorer over the past 12 months, and will make it difficult for Cleveland to leave him out of the rotation early in the 2025/26 NBA season.