On Star-Studded Cleveland Cavaliers, Role Players Beginning to Shine

Amid their win streak, the Cleveland Cavaliers have witnessed plenty of contributors.

While LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving continue to grab headlines and sell papers, they certainly aren't the only ones worthy of praise in Cleveland. Role players and reserves such as Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, Matthew Dellavedova and James Jones have all played key roles recently while helping the Cavs to eight straight victories.

"Our bench has been playing crazy well since we began the streak. We just have to keep it up," Irving said following the Cavs' 105-101 win over the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 9.

For the season, the Cavaliers' bench is averaging 23.6 points (28th in NBA) on 43.2 percent shooting (21st), via HoopsStats.com. Over the past three games, however, and Cleveland's reserves are up to 34 points (15th) on 52.6 percent from the field (second).

The Cavs are finally getting contributions from all areas, with the record to prove it.

Canadian Domination

Thompson has always brought a strong work ethic to the Cavaliers, and he didn't utter a single complaint after being moved to the bench in favor of Love.

Instead, Thompson has been the perfect big man to complement the offensive-minded Love. While scoring a solid 9.4 points on 53.4 percent shooting, Thompson's strengths lie in his ability to clean the glass, play defense and set hard screens.

Playing for a new contract next offseason, he's become a favorite partner of James in the pick-and-roll, often finishing with highlight dunks.

This season, Thompson is first among all reserves in offensive rebounding at 3.5 a night. That total ranks him sixth overall, ahead of players like Anthony Davis, Joakim Noah and Dwight Howard.

After the Dec. 9th win over the Raptors, Toronto head coach Dwane Casey said, "I thought we had (LeBron) under control most of the night. But with that said, it wasn't him that got the key rebounds down the stretch—that was (Matthew) Dellavedova, Tristan Thompson and different people on the boards."

Over his last three games, Thompson is averaging 14.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.

Welcome Back, Mate

After missing four weeks with a sprained MCL, Dellavedova has picked up where he left off in Cleveland.

A favorite of teammates, "Delly" is Anderson Varejao in miniature size. He defends, gets in the opponent's face, is unselfish with the ball and always seems to elevate the game of others. He's averaging 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 18.5 minutes in two games since returning Dec. 8.

"He's incredible. He's awesome. I don't know what else to say. We've developed such a great relationship. He's an incredible professional, an incredible teammate to have," said Kyrie Irving following the Dec. 9 Raptors game.

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Coach David Blatt was also quick to praise Dellavedova, and the way he can hang with some of the NBA's best guards in just his second season.

"He's a big part of what we do because he gives us a steady hand off the bench. He gives us great energy and activity on the defensive end. He plays simple and smart on the offensive end. Without question his performance was just outstanding against very, very high-level guards. We're talking about Kyle (Lowry), who's one of the best in the league, and Lou Williams and (Terrence) Ross. We're talking about some great guards and Delly was there."

Even Dellavedova's most famous teammate has been a big fan of his, and he knows that just looking at a stat sheet won't do his performance justice.

"He's scrappy, man," said James. "Delly is a guy that's always been counted out. One thing about it, is heart and effort will take away a lot of the things that you can not do. All the things that won't show up in the box score, but as a teammate and as people that know the game know what he means."

Although Dellavedova can't be measured by stats, his 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best on the team.

Number Finally Being Called

After appearing in just three of the Cavs' first 17 games, James Jones has finally cracked Blatt's rotation.

A former teammate of James with the Miami Heat, Jones was recruited to Cleveland for his outside shooting and veteran leadership. While the leadership has been constant, the wiry shooter is finally getting to showcase his stroke.

Over his last three games, Jones is averaging 6.6 points on a remarkable 66.7 percent shooting (6-9) from deep.

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"This team needs me to make shots," he told Spencer Davies of Fox Sports Ohio. "I'm confident I can do that. I go out there with confidence knowing that [my teammates] trust and believe in me."

The Cavs need Jones now more than ever, especially with Mike Miller recovering from a concussion.

So far, James Jones has answered their call.

Waiters' Sparking Bench

Once thought to be a contender for Sixth Man of the Year, Dion Waiters hasn't even been the Cavs' best reserve for most of the season.

Based on his performance the past two games, he may finally be embracing his role.

In just 27 minutes, Waiters has averaged 22.0 points and 3.0 assists on 58.1 shooting off the bench. His 26 points on the road in a Dec. 8 win over the Brooklyn Nets led the team. The mercurial scorer was a plus-32 that night, a higher rating than Irving, Love and Varejao combined (plus-30).

As Waiters told Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio after the game,"I told everyone, 'It's coming.' ... I knew it would happen, man."

Waiters is a player who thrives off confidence and rhythm. The Cavaliers have done an excellent job of getting him into the flow of the offense lately, and he has returned the favor with his strong play.

The Cavaliers may still be centered around the "Big Three," but it's these sometimes-forgotten four that have really made the difference as of late.

Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010.

All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.