John Calipari wasted no time praising his former point guard on Sunday.
The Arkansas coach sat courtside as Meleek Thomas exploded for a game-high 30 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 103-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Thomas shot 10 of 24 from the field and connected on 4 of 10 attempts from deep. He also pulled down four rebounds, handed out seven assists and came away with four steals across 34 minutes.
It was only his second pro game.
Thomas scored 20 points in Friday’s Summer League debut against the Indiana Pacers, and he’s now averaging 25 points a game through two outings with the Razorbacks’ name still attached to his rise.
Calipari didn’t just watch quietly. He spent part of the game seated next to Thomas’ family and later joined the Prime Video broadcast with former Kentucky guard John Wall to talk up his old guard in real time.
Cleveland’s 2nd-round pick, Meleek Thomas, in today’s @NBASummerLeague action:
30 PTS (game-high)
4 REB
7 AST
4 STL
4 3PM pic.twitter.com/3sNonwollF— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2026
Once the buzzer sounded, Calipari made his feelings clear in a social media post.
“He made all the right plays!” Calipari wrote. “I am more convinced now that people are going to regret passing on him!”
He kept the same energy on air.
“This kid right here, people missed on him.”@CoachCalArk was hyping up Meleek Thomas for the @cavs as he got buckets 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oENQC90KQk
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) July 12, 2026
“This kid right here, people missed on him,” Calipari said as Thomas pulled up for another shot. “Don’t make that! Don’t do that! They missed on him.”
Wall agreed on the broadcast that Thomas should’ve been a first-round selection, and Calipari still isn’t over Cleveland trading away that first-rounder.
“I’m still mad at Cleveland, because they traded their first-round pick,” Calipari said. “What are you doing?”
How about Meleek today?? For me to get to sit with his family while he went for 30 and 7 was special. He made all the right plays! I am more convinced now that people are going to regret passing on him! pic.twitter.com/a2YxjHuz8u
— John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) July 12, 2026
Hogs make noise across league
Thomas headlined the weekend, but he wasn’t the only Hog turning heads in Las Vegas.
Adou Thiero landed on SportsCenter’s top 10 plays after a highlight-reel dunk lifted the Los Angeles Lakers past the Oklahoma City Thunder 96-84 on Friday.
Thiero finished with 20 points, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks that night.
He caught an early lob from William Kyle to get things going, then added another slam off a pass from William Hickey before capping his outing with a windmill dunk in transition.
Over two Vegas games, he’s averaging 17.5 points on 46.2 percent shooting with four rebounds, 2.5 assists, two steals and a block.
No. 7 overall pick Darius Acuff had his own strong showing Friday, scoring 19 points on 6 of 20 shooting with seven assists, three rebounds and two steals in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
He still wants cleaner shooting nights.
“I’m just trying to be more efficient,” Acuff told reporters. “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.”
Sunday brought a rougher test.
Facing No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa and stout defense from former ACC Defensive Player of the Year Reece Beekman, Acuff scored just 12 points on 4 of 14 shooting with four assists, five turnovers and a block as Sacramento fell to Washington 104-85.
Arkansas’s pro pipeline keeps rolling
Cleveland gets two days of rest before facing the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. on Prime Video.
Sacramento sits out Monday and returns to action Tuesday at 5 p.m. against the Brooklyn Nets, also on Prime Video.
Eleven former Arkansas players are currently on Summer League rosters, and the early returns suggest the program’s pro pipeline is as strong as it’s ever been.
Key takeaways
- John Calipari publicly praised Meleek Thomas after the former Arkansas guard dropped 30 points on Sunday.
- Adou Thiero landed on SportsCenter’s top 10 with a highlight dunk while helping the Lakers beat the Thunder.
- Darius Acuff had a strong Friday debut but struggled Sunday against a tough Wizards defense led by Reece Beekman.
