Cleveland Cavaliers Finally Round Out Starting Lineup with Mike Miller
The Cleveland Cavaliers may have finally found the answer to their starting shooting guard vacancy, without having to look very far to do so.
Mike Miller, the 14-year veteran sharpshooter, has now been added to coach David Blatt's starting unit at the 2-guard spot.
While LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao have begun every game they've been healthy enough to participate in, Blatt has now used three different guys to round out his off-guard spot.
Blatt used Dion Waiters for the team's first three games before switching him in favor of veteran Shawn Marion. While Marion's defense was a nice complement alongside Cleveland's Big Three, Blatt acknowledged it was time for a change before the Cavs' Dec. 19 game against the Brooklyn Nets.
"We've been getting a great contribution from Shawn when he was starting, but we have had some issues coming off the bench and we're looking for a way to fortify that," Blatt said, per The Associated Press (via ESPN). "You're always trying to figure out a way you can improve in different areas of the game and that might be one of them."
"Sometimes you just want to shake things up a little bit," Blatt added.
Using Miller as a starter is a far cry from where Blatt had the two-time NBA champion just a few weeks ago, but it is absolutely the right decision moving forward.
Early Success
Even after just two games, Miller has made his impact felt on the court, although in different ways.
In Miller's first start against the Nets, he dropped 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting from deep. It marked the first time in over a year a player had made at least seven three-pointers while shooting that high of a percentage (Love went 8-of-9 on Dec. 13, 2013 against the San Antonio Spurs).
On a night where both Irving (16 points on 6-of-18 shooting) and Love (six points on 1-of-10) both struggled, Miller gave the Cavs offense a tremendous lift. Only James (22 points) outscored Miller, who surpassed his season point total in just one night.
While Miller didn't score in the fourth quarter of the Cavs' 95-91 win, his impact was still felt, noted Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group: "While the game was close in the fourth quarter, the threat of Miller on the court spaced the floor for James to maneuver and come through. James scored eight points in the quarter as the Nets' defense focused on not leaving Miller."
Yes, James was on the court and wasn't the defense's main concern.
Now, Miller isn't going to drop 20 points every night. In fact, he's never averaged more than 18.5 a game and hasn't cracked double-digits since the 2009-10 season. Still, his value can't be underestimated.
In Dec. 21's 105-91 win over the mighty Memphis Grizzlies, Miller was held scoreless in 16 minutes. While that would be considered an awful disappointment for someone like James, Irving or Love, it didn't hurt the Cavs in the least.
Miller attempted just one shot and was tightly guarded by the Grizzlies his entire time on the court. Instead, he helped move the ball and collected four assists in his 16 minutes. Like in the fourth quarter of the Nets game, it was more the threat of Miller's shooting that did the damage instead of the actual shots themselves.
"One thing I learned in Miami is the perception of a shooter is almost more important than actually making the shots," Miller told Haynes. "You're going to get games where you get two, or three shots up. It doesn't matter if you make them; it's how they guard you. Hopefully, I've done enough to (convince) people that I'm a shooter and it makes their jobs easier. That's what I'm out there for."
When Miller got his first break with 3:41 left in the first quarter, the Cavaliers led Memphis 20-8. While watching from the bench, the Grizzlies went on a 11-2 run to close out the quarter. James and Love remained in the game, so why the sputtering on offense?
The Grizzlies didn't have to worry about Miller's three-bombs anymore now that he was replaced with Waiters, who prefers the pick-and-roll.
Miller may have finished with zero points, but just having him on the court helped keep the defense honest and the ball moving.
In his first two games as a starter, the Cavaliers are 2-0.
How Miller Fits
To be honest, Miller probably isn't the Cavaliers' best shooting guard on the roster.
This honor belongs to Waiters, the former No. 4 overall pick who still carries star potential. The problem with Waiters—and the reason he lasted just three games as a starter—was a matter of fit alongside the Big Three.
At no point this season will James, Love or Irving come off the bench. One could chisel their names into the side of Quicken Loans Arena.
Marion helped to take defensive pressure off James but contributed little on offense. A poor outside shooter (35.5 percent this season), Marion couldn't be relied upon to knock down shots off open looks created by James and Irving.
This is where Miller comes in.
Unlike Waiters, Miller can have a positive impact on the Cavaliers without even taking a shot. Unlike Marion, if he does get a chance to shoot, the results can be devastating for opponents.
A lifetime 40.9 percent shooter from deep, Miller is connecting on 41.4 percent of his threes this season. If the Cavs need a bail-out plan on offense, they can always swing the ball over to the 6'8" guard for help.
James, Irving and Love are all ball-dominant players who need to get their offense going early. Varejao is a good fit at center because his game is based off energy and hustle. He, like Miller, doesn't care about shot attempts or scoring numbers like the other starting members do.
Miller is perfectly happy moving the ball and waiting for his opportunities to come. If they don't, that's OK, too. His presence on the court at least helped provide spacing and open up the lane for guys like James and Irving to drive. Help is less likely to come on these drives, given that opponents don't want to leave Miller open from deep.
A key aspect of Miller's game that neither Waiters nor Marion could master is the catch-and-shoot. James and Irving are averaging a combined 13.2 assists per game this season and need weapons on the perimeter they can kick it out to.
This is where Miller has been thriving as of late.
During the month of December, Miller is converting 37.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers, per NBA.com. While this sizzling number will have to come back down to Earth at some point, history shows Miller excels at this aspect. Last season with the Grizzlies, he made 45.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes.
While Miller is an elite shooter, his defense can be a concern. Not particularly quick, Miller can often get beat by faster guards on the perimeter. The Cavaliers must put James on the opponent's best offensive wing, something they could previously switch with Marion.
Some may point to this as a reason to keep Marion in the starting lineup over Miller. While that's a fair point, one has to consider the offensive burden that Miller can take off of James as well. Instead of facing double-teams every time he drives, James can enjoy an open lane far more often with defenses stretched out to account for Miller.
Overall, it's a good trade off, and one that's paid dividends for the Cavaliers thus far.
A Teammate Favorite
Former NBA great Tracy McGrady once jokingly said that if the Orlando Magic ever traded Miller, he would retire.
James has also been extremely supportive of his wingman, and was instrumental in Miller's recruitment to Cleveland. He offered these words to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group in September regarding Miller.
"We're as close as teammates than any I've had in my career," James said. "I've always wanted to play alongside of him. When you go through tough times in an NBA season, you get to know each other even more beyond the game of basketball."
When watching any Cavaliers game, it's easy to spot the first man off the bench to celebrate a basket, bark encouragement or offer a high five. In the locker room, Miller cracks jokes with both teammates and media members, not liking to leave anybody out.
Miller, at 34, has the same enthusiasm and passion for the game as people half his age. He's been the ultimate teammate this season, key for a team with a collection of young guards.
As James Jones, Miller's teammate with the Miami Heat and now in Cleveland, told Jonathan Abrams of Grantland:
"He has the unique experience of playing in every situation. He’s been on rebuilding teams. He’s been on championship teams. He’s been on contending teams. He’s been a starter. He’s been the sixth man. He’s been out of the rotation. He’s been injured. He’s bounced back and came back. Every player in this league can relate to him on some level.
"
Beyond all the rah-rah and chest bumps, Miller has been instrumental to his teammates' success on the court as well.
This season, James is averaging 23.4 points on 36.5 percent shooting from deep per 36 minutes with Miller on the bench. When playing with Miller, these numbers jump to 27.2 points on 47.4 percent from three.
Miller's spacing is helping Irving find open lanes in the defense, too. The All-Star point guard is shooting 58.7 percent from within nine feet of the basket with Miller on the floor, via NBA.com. Without him, Irving's conversion rate drops to 52.3 percent. Irving also scores 4.1 more points per 36 minutes alongside his veteran teammate.
After bouncing around the rotation, missing time with a concussion and now finding himself in the starting unit, Miller has been a true professional throughout it all.
Because of this, the Cavs have finally found the perfect missing piece for their starting five.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010.
All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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