The Cavaliers are blessed. 

They are blessed with two of the top big men in the entire Association on their own frontline. And those two big men have been blessed with excellent health during their time in Cleveland. Jarrett Allen has averaged 68 games per season over the last five years; Evan Mobley, 67. J.A. has played in at least 56 games each season, including all 82 in 2024-25; Mobley’s suited up for at least 65 contests in four of his first five years.

But a play as simple as a knee-to-knee collision, like the one in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s loss in OKC that sidelined Allen for the rest of the evening is a reminder that the backup big man is a key component to any competitive roster. 

With Cleveland’s dynamic duo commanding so much attention, it can be easy to overlook the backup behind the scenes. Thomas Bryant logged exactly zero minutes of work through the Wine & Gold’s first five games this year. But he’s been called to action over the last three, including Wednesday night against the Thunder, draining a triple and going 5-of-6 from the stripe in 12 minutes off the bench. 

“It's tough, not knowing if you're going to play, or when you're going to get in, or even if you’re in the rotation or not,” said Bryant. “It's all about that ‘stay-ready’ aspect and just taking in every day. It's just another day to try and get one percent better in whatever you might be doing on that day. You just try to have that mental aspect that when your name is called, to try and be ready as you can for that moment.” 

In the summer after he flummoxed the Cavaliers in the playoffs as a member of the 2024-25 Pacers, the New York native signed a free agent deal with Cleveland. And he was rock-solid in his first campaign with the Cavs, appearing in 60 contests, averaging 6.2 points and 3.4 boards, shooting 51 percent from the floor and 37 percent from deep. 

After a strong start, the 29-year-old wanted to continue building in Year 2 with a big summer in the gym. 

“Of course, you do the nuances of the big man stuff – just getting the hook-shots and the touch-shots, and, obviously, in this modern day era, just trying to space the floor more,” said Bryant on his offseason work. “But also, I think what you should work on is being in the best condition, to be able to run the floor for a long period of time out there. No matter how long you might be on the floor, you want to try to be the most conditioned big out there.”

Originally drafted by the Jazz with the 42^nd overall pick in 2017, the former Indiana standout has played for the Lakers, Wizards, Heat, Nuggets, and Pacers before joining the Cavaliers. He is one of three Cavaliers who’ve won a Championship ring during his NBA career, along with Sam Merrill and his new teammate, Peyton Watson, who Bryant won the title alongside in 2023. 

Bryant talked about how their combined experience reaching the NBA mountaintop with Denver can carry over in Cleveland. 

“Just (Peyton)’s basketball IQ, him being in those moments, in that position of being in the playoff picture, being on that Championship team, and continuing to get better in the playoffs since then, it just speaks volumes of how much he's grown throughout his years in the league. And then having him on our team, you know, having that Championship pedigree really helps. You’re always trying to look for an advantage, especially around playoff time. Those little, tiny advantages can mean a whole difference in winning a playoff series.” 

Since those days in Denver, Byrant has expanded his shooting range a bit. He attempted just nine three-pointers as a Nugget and attempted 131 bombs with the Cavaliers last season – down from his 148 long-range attempts the previous season with Indiana. T.B. isn’t shy from beyond the arc. In his season debut this year last Saturday night in Milwaukee, he put up six three-pointers, drilling three of them. 

“(The three-pointer) has always been a part of my game since I came into the league,” smiled Bryant. “It’s something that’s put me in a different category. I wasn't the strongest big man out there, but I'll also run the floor and shoot the ball well. I’ve just tried to continuously improve on that each year, year by year.”

Unlike the Cavs starting big men – both selected in the first round – Bryant has had to claw his way through the league, beginning with a G-League stint when he was starting out in Los Angeles. And to this day, he constantly encourages the Cavaliers’ two-way guys, knowing its possible to parlay a successful NBA career from there.  

“You don't ever take it as a demotion or anything,” said Bryant, who earned All-NBA G-League First Team honors with the South Bay Lakers in 2018. “It's for you to get those reps in, to have that game-time play, and to learn from your mistakes. You see what you're great at, where you need to improve, and what you can bring to the team when they call you back up. You’re being evaluated through it all; don't ever think nobody's watching. They're gonna see how you react through all of this. And how are you gonna react? Are you gonna get lazy? Or are you gonna give it all you got?”

Like the Cavs starting big men, Byrant has been a durable player over his career, including recently, appearing in at least 60 games over the last two seasons. He credits much of his durability to an unlikely former teammate – Russell Westbrook – from the brief time they shared with the Wizards in 2020-21. 

“The one thing I learned from Russ in a short amount of time was that as hard as you go on the court is as hard as you go on the recovery side. He would never miss a beat of what he was supposed to do. You keep your routine going and you never get out of it. I learned that from Russ. He would never miss treatment time. As soon as he got off the court, he would either be icing, stretching or doing something with the trainers. A big part of the game is maintaining your body. It’s like they always say in the league: The best ability is availability.”