Quarter-Season Grades for Each Cleveland Cavaliers Player
Now 25 percent through the regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers remain perched atop the Eastern Conference. They shouldn't be moving down anytime soon.
Led by an inspired and cohesive Big Three, the Cavs are getting surprise contributions throughout the lineup that have fueled their 18-6 start. Yet, for every pleasant surprise (Channing Frye), there seems to be a player still yet to find his groove (J.R. Smith).
As good as the Cavs look most nights, the potential to be better is still very much hovering above them.
With the 2016 section of their schedule nearly complete, which Cavaliers are passing and failing their early-season tests?
14-11: McRae, Felder, Andersen, Jones
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No. 14: Jordan McRae, G
2016-17 Stats Per Game: 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 27.8 3P%, minus-1.9
Buried on the bench most nights, McRae needs to develop a better overall game in order to earn rotation minutes. A solid scorer with the ball in his hands, his inability to play a complementary role to the team's stars may turn him into trade bait during the coming months.
Grade: D
No. 13: Kay Felder, PG
2016-17 Stats Per Game: 4.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 41.0 FG%, plus-0.6
Third on the team in assists behind LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, Felder is slowly developing into a solid backup point guard. When it comes to a consistent role, head coach Tyronn Lue is still working his rookie into the NBA game.
"There’s been no specific 'you’ll play x amount of minutes' or 'you’ll be playing so and so games' or anything like that," Felder told Bleacher Report earlier this season. "Whatever he gives me I’m gonna take and run with it. I knew what type of team this is, it’s a veteran team and I’ve got to earn my way in to it."
Grade: C-
No. 12: Chris Andersen, C
2016-17 Stats Per Game: 2.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, 40.9 FG%, plus-0.7
The Cavaliers' emergency big, Andersen can still keep up with players nearly half his age while throwing down the occasional dunk. At 38, his production is still solid: Per 36 minutes of play, Andersen is giving the Cavs 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. That rebound rate is third on the team, while his swats per minute are first overall.
Grade: C+
No. 11: James Jones, F
2016-17 Stats Per Game: 3.7 points, 0.4 rebounds, 65.4 FG%, 73.7 3P%, minus-0.6
Jones is 36, nearing the end of his career and somehow shooting better than ever.
He's connected on 17 of 26 shots this season, including an absurd 14 of 19 three-pointers. Although a small sample size, shooters normally need regular playing time to stay hot from beyond the arc. Not Jones, apparently. Serving as James' sidekick through six straight NBA Finals, he is still very much proving his worth.
Grade: B-
10-6: Dunleavy, Liggins, Jefferson, Smith, Shumpert
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No. 10: Mike Dunleavy, SF
2016-17 Stats Per Game: 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 31.3 3P%, plus-1.2
Dunleavy has yet to find a rhythm in Cleveland while battling through a concussion and various minor injuries. The 36-year-old remains a part of Lue's rotation, even starting a pair of games for a recovering/resting J.R. Smith and LeBron James.
The good news? The Cavs still perform well offensively with Dunleavy on the floor, as his scouting report requires opponents to stay close, thus spacing the court for others to work. The Cavaliers don't necessarily need Dunleavy right now, but they can't keep playing him over others if his low shooting percentage continues.
Grade: D
No. 9: DeAndre Liggins, G
2016-17 Stats Per Game: 3.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 41.0 FG%, plus-4.1
Liggins has recently cracked the rotation with J.R. Smith missing time due to a hyper-extended knee. The combo guard is maximizing his opportunity, establishing himself as a defensive force in the Cavs backcourt.
"I’m playing with three great players, so they don’t need my offense," Liggins said. "But if I’m open, I’m going to take the wide open shot. What I bring is the defensive edge. I try to help Kyrie out so he doesn’t have to pick up guards full court. I try to save Kyrie some energy and that’s what I’ve been doing...(Playing with those guys is) great. It just makes the game so much easier for me, just being wide open."
If Smith regains his two-way form of last year, Liggins' playing time could once again be limited. Until then, the 28-year-old is the perfect complementary backcourt piece.
Grade: B-
No. 8: Richard Jefferson, F
2016-17 Stats Per Game: 4.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 34.7 3P%, plus-3.1
There's nothing flashy about Jefferson's game anymore—just a solid overall player who's an absolute chemistry gem. Able to play shooting guard or either forward position, he takes on the heavy task of being James' primary backup.
Part of the Cavaliers' locker room corner triangle along with Kevin Love and Frye, Jefferson is always good for keeping the mood light and players loose during the long season. At 36, he still moves like a 26-year-old and remains a threat from the three-point line.
Grade: C+
No. 7: J.R. Smith, SG
2016-17 Stats Per Game: 8.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 34.1 3P%, plus-5.6
Fighting through an awful first month of the season, Smith has begun returning to form. Through six December games, he's shooting 37.3 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from deep, up from 28.7 and 32.9 in November.
The Cavaliers need "J.R. Swish" to defend, however, especially when sharing the backcourt with Irving. As long as he provides that, Lue can live with some bad shooting nights.
Grade: C-
No. 6: Iman Shumpert, G
2016-17 Stats Per Game: 7.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 45.3 3P%, plus-0.2
Shumpert is undergoing a resurgence from last year and has been among the league's top 10 three-point shooters nearly all season. The secret? A change in his mechanics that he spent the past summer working hard to correct.
"I stopped jumping so high. Being so high strung on energy I realized I never can match shooting the same shot twice because I’m always jumping at a different height," Shumpert told Bleacher Report. "I had to keep the ball going straight. Last year’s shots I was missing right or left and that shouldn’t happen. They should either be short or long. A lot of that comes from the healing process of my wrist."
This is the best Shumpert has looked since he's been in Cleveland, and the 26-year-old deserves more than the 22.3 minutes per night he's currently receiving.
Grade: B+
5. Channing Frye, F/C
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2016-17 Stats Per Game: 9.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, 45.8 3P%, plus-1.1
Despite a personal tragedy this season off the court, Frye has been one of the NBA's best reserves.
His three-point shooting has been at or near the top of the league all season, a remarkable feat for someone nearly seven feet tall. Playing Frye at center means placing four shooters around James, a tactic that's led to a 39.9 percent team success rate from deep.
"Big guys like the paint. I make them allergic to it," Frye said. "That’s just kind of how it is. When you have that train down there (LeBron James) or when Kevin (Love) is going or Kyrie (Irving) is going, that big guy is usually the biggest guy on the court, so he wants to help. But he can’t help. He’s got to come to Frye Island—just sit out there with me."
Like so many other Cavs, Frye doesn't need to dominate the ball to be effective. Every one of his 38 made three-pointers this season has come off a teammate's assist.
"For me, I just fill a need on this team and it works," he said. "I think the luxury is I don’t have to play all 4 or all 5, I just kind of fit in where I fit in. Luckily I’m playing with the best player in the NBA."
Grade: B+
4. Tristan Thompson, C
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2016-17 Stats Per Game: 6.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 59.8 FG%, plus-5.2
Even with next to no contributions scoring the ball, Thompson has continued to be a force on the glass and now as a shot-blocker.
"The last couple of years we just talked to him about being a better rim protector and being in the right spots," Lue said, via Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
"This year, he has come out and done it. Tristan has really found his way defensively, and we know he’s a great inbound defender, great pick-and-roll defender, great post defender, but now helping on the weak side, getting blocked shots and protecting the basket has been great for us."
The 25-year-old is averaging career bests in field-goal percentage, rebounds, blocks and box plus/minus (2.6). He's done all of this while posting a career-low 9.5 usage percentage.
Through six years with the Cavs, Thompson has yet to complain about his shots or usage on offense. He's been perfectly content setting screens, hitting the boards and sprinting back on defense. Now approaching five calendar years since missing a game, Thompson remains the Cavaliers' workhorse down low.
Grade: B+
3. Kyrie Irving, PG
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2016-17 Stats Per Game: 23.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 43.0 3P%, plus-5.2
Irving is quickly becoming one of the NBA's top point guards, but he's only been the Cavs' third-best player this season.
The complaints about his shoot first-pass second philosophy are slowly dying. Now it's more about making the right reads and attacking the defense—taking what they're willing to give the still 24-year-old.
“It’s all part of the growth process – finding what really fits with this team (and) what role you kind of feel comfortable with going into every single night," Irving said earlier this season.
"Right now, I’m just trying to find that consistency and I feel like I’m able to attack anytime, whether it’s for a basket or to get other guys involved. Getting into the lane, I’m fairly good at, so coming downhill and bigs are coming at me and they’re attacking me. If I see a layup, if I see a jump shot, I take it. If I see an opportunity for a teammate to get a great shot, I’m going to hit them. It’s just more or less just playing in the game, being physically loose and mentally tight. Just going out there and just playing.”
Irving could become James' first teammate in 14 years to outscore him, as he's been close to or above his MVP partner's average all season.
Grade: A-
2. Kevin Love, PF
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2016-17 Stats Per Game: 22.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 41.1 3P%, plus-8.4
Guess who's back? Love looks to be in the prime of his career, once again filling the stat sheet—only this time racking up wins in the process.
"It’s the Kevin Love of old, and this is everything we expected out of him," James said. "It’s what we want out of him. But it’s no added pressure for him. He’s going out and just playing his game right now."
Love's scoring is his highest since joining the Cavs, while his shooting marks are near career highs.
"He’s shooting the ball extremely well, he’s rebounding at a high clip and he’s at a point where he’s just comfortable with everything, and it’s great to have him...I just think every year, you get more and more comfortable with the system, you get more and more comfortable with the play and we all get more and more comfortable with our role," James said of Love.
From his team-record 34-point quarter to an ever-improving defensive game, Love deserves to attend his fourth All-Star Game this February.
Grade: A
1. LeBron James, SF
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2016-17 Stats Per Game: 25.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.4 steals, plus-9.4
James is once again having an MVP-type season, averaging a career high in assists while keeping Cleveland at No. 1 in the conference. Offensively, he's shooting 51.8 percent from the floor, second on the team next to center Tristan Thompson.
"He is just basically taking what the defense gives him," Lue said. "When we’re playing with pace and getting stops, his shot attempts are going to go up because he’s getting downhill and getting to the basket more frequent."
Still only 31, James is already ninth on the all-time scoring list. Not bad for a guy known for his overall game and not as a pure scorer.
"That’s a tribute to his hard work," Lue said. "Staying healthy is hard work and (he has) dedication to the game. When you’re great, you’re going to move up a lot of lists."
Expect James to be in the MVP conversation all season along with Russell Westbrook, James Harden and others. If the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets fall back in the West a bit, James could very well win his fifth MVP trophy.
Grade: A
Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @CavsGregBR.
Stats via Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and are accurate through Dec. 14. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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