Thomas Bryant bringing toughness to Cavaliers

The Cavaliers' signing of Thomas Bryant was multifaceted. They needed a backup big behind starters Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, they needed to add some toughness and he needed to come on the cheap. Bryant checked all three boxes. The 6-foot-10, 248-pounder comes to Cleveland after helping the Indiana Pacers advance to the NBA Finals last year. He said the Cavs "welcomed me with open arms" after he signed a one-year, $3.2 million deal Sept. 25. It doesn't become guaranteed until Jan. 7. "It felt really good to feel that kind of love," Bryant said. Bryant, 28, said he brings several attributes to the team. "I'm hoping to bring a certain type of physicality and a certain type of intensity that will help us," he said. "(I'm) a versatile big who can score inside as well as outside with the 3 ball. (I want to) be a positive reinforcement on this team and know that any time I'm my number might be called, I'll be available to contribute to this team." In 66 games last year, Bryant averaged 6.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.6 blocks. He shot .508 from the field, .324 from the 3-point line and .859 from the foul line. He said he watched the Cavs from afar last year. The Indiana University product said he just wants to fit in. "I know this team has a lot of camaraderie and teammates that have been together for years," Bryant said. "For me, I'm the new guy. When you come to a new team, it's going to be different. You have to learn their niches, what they like and don't like. I hope that I can pick that up quickly. "(I saw a) lot of excellence from this Cavaliers team, offensively and defensively. You can tell that this team is very close, very close-niched. They know what they want to accomplish. They tried to find guys who gel into what they want. For me, I feel like I gel into that mindset of wanting to win." He will be entering his ninth season in the NBA after being a second-round pick (42nd overall) by the Utah Jazz in 2017. Bryant was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers before ever playing a game for the Jazz. The Cavs were heavily favored to advance past the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals last year. Instead, Indiana thumped them 4-1. "We won that series because of the camaraderie we had," Bryant said. "We knew our backs were against the wall. Nobody thought we were going to win this series at all. That was our mindset. 'Let's attack this.' It doesn't matter if anyone believes in us. All that matters is the people in this locker room. "For us last year, we were battle-tested. A lot of times, there were a lot of games we won that we should have lost. You learn to fight through the ups and downs of the game. Even though it looks bad now, we're going to keep fighting until the clock hits zero. Luckily, it went our way." Bryant said he believes the Cavs have what it takes to overtake Indiana as East champion. "It's not going to be easy," he said. "There is a certain amount of intensity you have to bring day in and day out, especially in the playoffs. The learning curves that I went through last year will hopefully help this team this year. "These are all things that (can) help us win a championship. It all compounds together. Even if it's one possession of the game, it all adds up. Those are all things you need throughout the playoffs in order to hold up that Larry O'Brien trophy someday. (We) have the ability to get over that hump." Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said Bryant brings energy when he steps onto the court. He said he thinks he can help Cleveland's interior players. "He can push Evan, JA and Larry (Nance)," Atkinson said. "He's going to get after them and make them become better players." High priced The Cavs' payroll of $216 million is No. 1 in the league. They are also one of three teams over the second apron of the salary cap. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.