Cleveland Cavaliers: How Dion Waiters' Game Complements Kyrie Irving

The Cavs dropped a bombshell in the first round of the NBA draft.

After failing to trade up to No. 2 with Charlotte, Cleveland hunkered down and selected Syracuse shooting guard Dion Waiters with the No. 4 overall pick, bypassing perceived favorite Harrison Barnes and Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson.

Waiters is a 6'4", 221-pound tank, a combo guard who takes the ball to the basket at will and puts up points in bunches. His game provides just what Cleveland needs and should take a good deal of the scoring load off the shoulders of last year's No. 1 overall pick, Kyrie Irving.

Irving, having averaged 18.5 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor, can now be more of a distributor. Irving dished out 5.4 assists per game last season as Cleveland's primary offensive option. That total should increase with Waiters in the fold.

Two of Irving's greatest strengths are his court vision and jump shot. These two aspects of his game should fit seamlessly with Waiters'. 

With Waiters looking to put the ball on the floor and drive, Irving may get a bit more space to pull up and fire from mid to long range. And with the way he sees the floor, he'll be able to get Waiters the ball in the most optimal spots to find open lanes to the rim.

And since Waiters will be looking to drive, any extra attention paid to him should open up space for Irving and other Cleveland shooters to get good looks. 

It will be interesting to see how Waiters, who was Syracuse's sixth man last year and did not start a single game all season, adjusts to his role alongside Irving. It could be like having multiple point guards. It also could be a case of there not being enough shots to go around.

That's the worst case scenario, though. In Waiters, the Cavs got themselves some sorely needed offense and a near ideal backcourt mate for their franchise player.