The Cleveland Cavaliers will be tipping off their season on Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers without one of their rotation players. The team announced on Tuesday morning that Nae’Qwan Tomlin was “diagnosed with a lower back stress reaction following an evaluation by the Cavaliers medical team.”
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 20, 2026
Per the Cavaliers’ statement, the team’s medical group identified this injury during an evaluation. Tomlin will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks.
I wouldn’t assume that this timeline is definitive, especially with something like this that could vary in severity. It is also fair to note that, with the physical and athletic style of play Tomlin utilizes, this may not be as straightforward as other, more standard injuries.
Without Tomlin, the Cavs are left with Mario Hezonja and Thomas Bryant as the two established backup bigs. That is far from an ideal group, as Hezonja is still an unknown at this point, while Bryant is a volatile option.
This is definitely a missed opportunity for Tomlin to flash. Tomlin hasn’t been able to show much growth in areas of need for his game thus far, and the Cavaliers’ bench feels far from concrete at this point. The start to this season could have been one of the last chances Tomlin had to show he’s deserving of a steady role going forward.
With at minimum a month to be missed to start the year, this injury is far from ideal both for Tomlin and the Cavaliers.
Last season, Tomlin averaged 5.8 points and 2.9 assists in 64 outings and 15.2 minutes per game.