Which Cleveland Cavs Bench Player Will Have Most Important Role This Season?
Lost in all the hoopla surrounding superstars LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving this summer are the little people.
OK, so maybe that's a bad description of NBA players. Instead, let's say, "sometimes it's easy to forget that role players can have a huge impact on a team's title chances".
We know that with James, Love and Irving, the Cavs should be very good. What we don't know is just how good they can be. Much of this revolves around the team's X-factors, the role players that will be needed to step up on a regular basis.
That being said, which Cavs reserve will have the most important role this season? Players like Shawn Marion, James Jones and Matthew Dellavedova will definitely help but aren't crucial to the Cavs' championship chances.
Instead, the title of Most Important Role comes down to three players. Swingman Mike Miller, shooting guard Dion Waiters (if he's named the team's sixth man) and forward/center Tristan Thompson should all carry the most impact off the bench.
Let's break down what each brings to the Cavaliers and who will ultimately play the biggest role for Cleveland this season.
Mike Miller
Role: Spread the offense, knock down three-pointers
Miller possesses the most experience of the Cavs' bench core. He's spent 14 seasons in the NBA thus far, collecting two championship rings with the Miami Heat.
While he's not going to score, rebound, pass or defend at a high level, the 6'8" Miller is downright lethal when shooting from the outside.
In today's NBA, this skill is extremely valuable.
The Cavs were a very poor shooting team from the outside last season. They knocked down just 35.6 percent of their three-pointers, 18th in the league. The world-champion San Antonio Spurs, by comparison, led the NBA by shooting 39.7 percent from deep.
But Miller's just one man. What kind of an impact can he really have?
Consider the before and after shooting stats Miller had on the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies, his homes the past two years.
| Miller's Impact | Team 3P% | NBA Rank |
| Miami Heat 2012-13 (w/Miller) | 39.6 | 2 |
| Miami Heat 2013-14 (w/o Miller) | 36.4 | 12 |
While the Heat terrorized opponents from behind the arc with Miller, they dropped 10 spots in the rankings after amnestying him.
The Grizzlies, one of the league's worst shooting teams, eagerly scooped Miller up. His presence helped Memphis jump five spots from the previous season.
| Miller's Impact | Team 3P% | NBA Rank |
| Memphis Grizzlies 2012-13 (w/o Miller) | 34.5 | 24 |
| Memphis Grizzlies 2013-14 (w/Miller) | 35.3 | 19 |
Now on the Cavaliers, Miller's role remains the same.
He can come off screens, spot up in the corner and space the floor for Cleveland. A lifetime 40.9 percent marksman from deep, Miller's three-point shooting will no doubt be an important component of the Cavs' offensive game plan.
Dion Waiters
Role: Playmaker, instant offense off bench
If head coach David Blatt decides to start Waiters, he'll be doing the team and third-year shooting guard a major disservice.
The 6'4", 215-pound Waiters is talented enough to begin the game for many teams, as he averaged 18.3 points and 3.5 assists in 24 games as a starter last season. He's also the best shooting guard on the roster, and technically deserves the honor over a player like Miller.
That being said, Waiters' best quality is his ability to score in isolation and pick-and-roll opportunities. When asked to come off screens and operate within the flow of an offense, Waiters has struggled.
Coming off the bench as the team's sixth man would be an ideal fit.
Cleveland has plenty of scoring with James, Love and Irving in the starting five. What they need is someone to run the offense and create scoring opportunities for himself and others in the reserves.
This is where Waiters comes in.
As a sixth man, Waiters averaged 14.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 27.8 minutes a game last season. He greatly improved his three-point shooting to 36.7 percent, up from 28.9 percent as a reserve in 2012-13.
As rare as it may be, there will be games when the first unit's shots aren't falling and they need someone to come in and provide a spark.
Whether it be Manu Ginobili with the Spurs or Jamal Crawford of the Los Angeles Clippers, many of the league's best teams keep an instant scorer on their bench to help balance out the rotation.
Miller is great, but he's not going to orchestrate an offense like Waiters can.
After a summer spent working on his game and dropping 10 pounds, Waiters should be even quicker off the dribble and attacking the rim.
The Cavaliers should keep him on the bench to start games, as his scoring and playmaking abilities will definitely be needed as the team's sixth man.
Tristan Thompson
Role: Rebounding, defense, center insurance
After starting every game at power forward the past two seasons, Thompson will almost certainly come off the bench now in favor of Love and Anderson Varejao.
Given the Cavs' lack of depth at center, the 6'9" Thompson will likely be used to back up both post spots.
This is both an intriguing and terrifying situation.
Although undersized, Thompson did start 25 games at center for the Cavaliers during his rookie season filling in for an injured Varejao. While some of the bigger opponents gave him trouble, Thompson did post a respectable 10.4 points and 7.5 rebounds in 28.8 minutes a night.
According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, Thompson will indeed be used at the 5:
"Regardless of whether he starts, Thompson is expected to play a lot of minutes at center this season. He is undersized there, but athletic enough to handle the job. He has played there off and on throughout his first three years in the league.
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While his size doesn't necessarily reflect that of a classic NBA center, Thompson's skill set matches up perfectly.
While at the University of Texas, Thompson made a name for himself with his motor, rebounding, post defense and shot blocking.
Playing for a young Cavs team that needed his scoring, Thompson's defensive game struggled while his blocks plummeted (1.0 to 0.4 from rookie to third season).
Now that his role is changing back to what it was with Texas, Thompson's focus should once again reflect his strengths.
Cleveland better hope so, at least.
Varejao is fantastic when healthy but hasn't topped 65 games since the 2009-10 season. Brendan Haywood is still rehabbing from a stress fracture and likely won't be ready for the start of training camp.
The Cavs are very thin inside and need Thompson to bring some toughness, defense and rebounding off the bench.
Conclusion
While Miller, Waiters and Thompson will all be key components to the team, one in particular stands out.
Given the Cavs' lack of depth in the post, Thompson will have the most important role of any bench player this season.
It's not going to be easy, either. Thompson is going to have to regularly face players two, three, even four inches taller than him. On any given night, he could be sacrificing 30-40 pounds to his opponent.
Doing the dirty work may not be what Thompson envisioned his career objective to be four years after being a No. 4 overall pick, but here we stand. It's also worth noting that Thompson can hit restricted free agency next summer, and will be looking to cash in after a strong season.
James, Love and Irving will grab the headlines, but it'll be how Thompson controls the paint on defense that could really tell the story of most games.
Cleveland needs Thompson to transform into the elite defender and shot-blocker many believed he'd become in the league.
This role will most definitely prove crucial to the Cavs' season success.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010. Connect with him on Twitter for more basketball news and conversation.
All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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