The Cleveland Cavaliers were without four starters, Caris LeVert and Sam Merrill. The Indiana Pacers played all of their starters. The Cavs stayed close in the first half, but let go of the rope when the third unit got a longer run. They lost that game 129-117.

It's preseason. The process is more important than the results. Grades are based on our expectations of each player.

Jarrett Allen

13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 15 minutes

Allen continues to look good offensively when given the space to showcase his skills. All three of his shots in the first quarter came outside the restricted area. They used him as an offensive center in the second quarter, where he recorded four helpers in that period alone.

That was a strong performance from Allen. It was the type he seems to deliver on a regular basis when he's the only big guy on the pitch.

Grade: A

Isaac Okoro

9 points, 4-6 shots, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 9 minutes

Using Okoro more as a roller has been a topic of conversation throughout training camp. By my count, he was used as an on-ball screener three times. All three led to points.

It was no problem for Okoro to finish through contact. It was difficult to reach these spots on the floor. This is one way for him to do that. Later, we saw Okoro catch Porter cutting to the basket after being blocked by Pascal Siakam in a similar situation.

Skill wasn't necessarily the problem for Okoro. It's about figuring out how to use it. They would like to see Okoro continue to expand his game. This means you notice incremental progress.

Grade: B

Jaylon Tyson

11 points, 5-7 shooting, 1-1 from three, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, 29 minutes

Tyson looked like a newbie. He had good movement off the ball and had a solid game. He also threw the ball directly to the Pacers and was taken out of play on what should have been an easy transition.

There's reason to be excited about what you've seen from Tyson. But he still has some work to do before he can be considered a rotation player.

Grade: C

Dean Wade

9 points, 3-8 shots, 1-5 from three, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 23 minutes

The process remains good for Wade, even if the scoring didn't happen. The defense was great once again. The versatility in this area cannot be overstated. He just needs to be more aggressive on offense.

Luckily, Wade was once again aggressive. He was active off the ball and usually didn't hesitate to pull the trigger from deep. Now all you have to do is take the photos.

Grade: B

Ty Jerome

15 points, 5-14 shots, 2-7 from three, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 23 minutes

This was the backup point guard performance you'd want if Darius Garland wasn't on the roster. He moved the ball well. He didn't force his shot, but he didn't hesitate when he had the chance to take one.

I don't know if he'll fit in the rotation if everyone's healthy, but that's okay. This is the type of player you would want to make point starts to keep rotations consistent.

Grade: B

Tristan Thompson

4 points, 2-4 shots, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 18 minutes

Thompson was -18 in the minutes he was out. He had to contend with some rough lineups, but he didn't do much to make them work.

Thompson was a pleasant surprise on the field last season. The same guy hasn't shown up at some exhibition games yet. That doesn't mean he won't, but it's not encouraging for a team that has limited options at the backup five.

Grade: D+

Georges Niang

12 points, 5-9 shooting, 2-4 from three, 3 rebounds, 21 minutes

Niang appears to be in better shape than last season. This has resulted in him being quicker on his feet. Niang was a good source of offense in a unit that had few other options.

However, he was hit in the head by an airball.

Grade: B

Craig Porter Jr.

14 points, 6-10 shooting, 2-3 from three, 4 assists, 1 steal, 24 minutes

Porter doesn't attempt many threes, but the ones he seems to master are high difficulty stepbacks. He destroyed one of those difficult shots early on. Whenever that happens, he seems emboldened to attack the color even more, and that's what he excels at.

It's difficult to be a point guard when teams don't respect your jumper. This will always be the fight for Porter until he proves otherwise. Nevertheless, this was a nice improvement after a difficult phase since this year's Summer League.

Grade: B+

Luke Travers

6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 21 minutes

Travers has ideas that make you excited about your future. But then he goes through long periods where you forget he's playing on offense. He still needs to figure out how his game translates to the NBA game. That was a good experience for him.

Grade: C

Jules Bernard

11 points, 3-8 shooting, 3-7 from three, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 16 minutes

Bernard performed well. The left-hander acted aggressively and was usually in the right place.

It's been a long road getting the team out of camp considering how set in stone the Cavs' roster appears to be. He has a good season ahead of him with the Cleveland Charge in the G League.

Grade: B+

JT Thor

5 points, 2-6 shots, 2 rebounds, 12 minutes

Thor didn't have the most impressive performance after a solid performance on Tuesday. He was not an effective rebounder or rim finisher. It's hard to be a reserve center when you struggle in both areas against the second and third teams in the preseason.

While Thompson was bad, Thor didn't do enough to make me think he would be a better option if either Allen or Evan Mobley were out.

Grade: D+

Zhaire Smith, Pete Nance, James Gilyard

These three only had about six minutes of playing time. They played defensively and everyone found a way to get into the scoring positions. That's about as much as you can do in the garbage time of a preseason game like this.

Grade: B