Nae'Qwan Tomlin Out 3-4 Weeks After Earning Cavaliers Rotation Spot

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced Tuesday that forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin has been diagnosed with a lower back stress reaction and will be reevaluated in three to four weeks.

Tomlin did not appear in any of Cleveland's three preseason games. He sat out Monday's practice with lower back tightness, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported, and the diagnosis followed a day later.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said the staff, including the performance staff, has to keep Tomlin's spirits right.

"I had him pegged in as a rotation player," Atkinson said. "He was going to be in the rotation and he had earned that with his play all summer."

"First, it's a kid, like, he's obviously disappointed, and you're — that's why we really need to lift him as a staff, as a performance staff, to keep his spirits right," Atkinson continued. "That's a blow for a young kid."

Tomlin, a 6-foot-8 forward from Harlem, turns 26 in December. He appeared in 64 games last season, with three starts. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.7 minutes and shot 47.8% from the field. From 3-point range, he went 27-of-115.

In the playoffs, he played in seven games and logged 2.7 minutes per appearance.

Cleveland first signed Tomlin in September 2024 and waived him the same day. He joined the Cleveland Charge, Cleveland's G League affiliate, and later earned a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers.

Tomlin made his NBA debut Feb. 20, 2025, at Brooklyn. On March 2, 2025, he signed a two-way contract.

In February, Cleveland converted that deal into a guaranteed two-year, minimum-salary contract. President of basketball operations Koby Altman said in the team's announcement that Tomlin had risen from not playing high school basketball to logging meaningful NBA minutes. Tomlin played junior college ball at Monroe Community College and Chipola College before stops at Kansas State and Memphis.

Atkinson said Cleveland has really good depth and that its two-way players have been playing great.

"No, I think best player. I think best player," Atkinson explained. "And then we have to work around that, kind of find out who you're going to pick. We're lucky. We have really good depth in my opinion and we just go down the line."

"Man, our two-[ways] have been playing great. They're gonna help us," Atkinson added. "So four out of the last six years we've had a two-way get converted to a regular contract. So those guys can have opportunities. Really good depth."

Tristan Enaruna, Riley Minix, and Ernest Udeh Jr. hold Cleveland's three two-way spots. The Cavaliers carry 14 players on standard contracts.

Enaruna, a native of the Netherlands, signed his two-way deal in late January. He was averaging 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 23 games for the Charge at the time. He played at Cleveland State before going undrafted.

Big man Khalifa Diop has also been dealing with a left knee injury. Cleveland took Diop with the 39th pick in 2022 and signed him to a four-year, $9.26 million contract in September.

Cleveland signed forward Mario Hezonja on July 31. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen return as the starting frontcourt, and Atkinson has said he plans to use Mobley like Kevin Garnett this season.

The Cavaliers open their 2026-27 schedule Thursday in Philadelphia. A three-week timeline would put Tomlin's reevaluation on Nov. 10. A four-week timeline would put it on Nov. 17.