Midseason Player Grades for Each Cleveland Cavaliers Player

The Cleveland Cavaliers lead the Eastern Conference with a 28-10 record nearly halfway through the NBA season, putting them on pace for a 60-22 finish.

The Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are enjoying their best collective campaign, with Tristan Thompson, Channing Frye and Iman Shumpert playing important supporting roles as well. 

The roster has fluctuated as of late, with J.R. Smith out until April following surgery for a broken thumb and Chris Andersen lost for the season due to a torn ACL. But veteran shooter Kyle Korver has recently joined the defending champs—acquired from the Atlanta Hawks for Mike Dunleavy Jr., Mo Williams and a 2019 first-round pick. 

There's likely more changes coming as well, due to James' plea to acquire a backup point guard as insurance behind Irving. For now, here's how the current Cavaliers have graded out halfway through the regular season.

Deep Reserves

Jason Miller/Getty Images

13. Jordan McRae, G

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 5.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 30.6% 3PT, minus-1.9

McRae has gotten some run lately as the team's starting point guard while Kyrie Irving nursed a sore hamstring.

The good? He showed strong scoring instincts, putting up 15.0 points on 50.0 percent shooting in three starts. The bad? McRae can only be called a "point guard" by the official box score label. He's a fill-it-up scorer who shows little interest in distributing for anyone else.

Grade: D+

12. James Jones, F

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 2.8 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 60.7% 3PT, minus-1.6

Averaging the lowest playing time of any Cavalier (6.9 minutes), Jones keeps stepping up when his number is called. The 36-year-old has connected on 17 of his 28 three-pointers, and his 3.9 treys per 36 minutes of play is the second-highest (4.3 in 2013-14) of his 14-year career.

Grade: B-

11. Kay Felder, PG

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 5.2 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 40.2% FG, minus-0.7

Felder has appeared in the past seven games, his longest streak as a Cavalier. At 5'9", it's no surprise he's drawn recent inspiration from Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

"

I thought about it -- yeah, I can model my game after him and put in bits and pieces from guys like Chris Paul and D-Rose (Derrick Rose) and (Russell) Westbrook and those types of guys. But Isaiah Thomas has definitely been a big inspiration. He reached out to me my last year in college and we have been connected ever since.

"

While Felder could turn out to be a solid rotation piece by season's end, he's looked a bit overwhelmed when asked to run an NBA offense without Irving or LeBron James sharing the court.

Grade: C-

10. Richard Jefferson, F

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 5.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 29.1% 3PT, plus-2.6

Still a valuable member of the Cavaliers' bench, Jefferson continues to ignore father time as his occasional highlight dunks demonstrate.

"RJ’s been great. Just knowing where to be, he’s a great cutter," head coach Tyronn Lue said. "He’s been doing a great job at attacking closeouts. We’re swinging the ball to him and he’s getting open shots, driving the basketball, getting dunks and getting to the free throw line. He’s finally gotten in better shape than he was earlier in the season and he’s playing great for us."

One major complaint? Jefferson's three-point shooting is the lowest on the team, down from the solid 38.2 percent mark he posted a year ago.

Grade: C

Bench Rotation

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

9. DeAndre Liggins, G

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 38.9% 3PT, plus-3.6

With J.R. Smith sidelined, coach Tyronn Lue has called on DeAndre Liggins to fill in as the team's starting shooting guard even with the addition of Kyle Korver.

Liggins' game is predicated on his ball-hawking defense, as Lue uses him to pick up opposing point guards at all areas of the court. With a healthy Smith and an acclimated Korver come playoff time, will Liggins still get minutes? Probably not, but his energy and defense have given Cleveland a nice lift for now.

Grade: C

8. Kyle Korver, SG

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 2.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 20.0% FG, minus-12.0

It's been a rough first two games for Korver with the Cavaliers, joining them in the midst of their longest road trip of the season without time to practice.

Still, he's a veteran that brings a skill set conducive to playing alongside LeBron James. It may take a few weeks but eventually the former Atlanta Hawk should fit in nicely with his new teammates.

"I'll be ready," Korver said via Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. "Someone asked me earlier, I've usually had to work pretty hard for my shots. Maybe there will be a few easier ones. He (James) said if you catch it and you're open let it fly. That shouldn't be a problem."

Grade: Incomplete

7. J.R. Smith, SG

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 8.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 36.2% 3PT, plus-5.2

If all goes to plan, Smith's thumb should be healed by the end of the regular season. Cleveland needs him, too, as the 31-year-old's floor-spacing and defense has found a home in Northeast Ohio.

"He's always been a great shooter, and I think at times in Denver and New York, maybe he took a lot of tougher shots, 1-on-1 off the dribble and trying to create his own shot from three," Lue told Bleacher Report.

"Here with this team, with Kevin and Kyrie and LeBron and the way they demand so much attention, now he's getting open, easy shots and he's always been a knockdown shooter. I think now he's getting easier shots and shots in rhythm and he knows where his shot's gonna come from."

Prior to his injury, Smith was shooting 50.0 percent from deep over his previous five games.

Grade: C+

6. Iman Shumpert, G

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 36.7% 3PT, minus-0.4

After a sizzling start to the season shooting the ball, Shumpert has come crashing back to Earth over the past 11 games. His shooting has dropped to 33.3 percent from the floor and a measly 19.4 percent from deep.

Even with a rough shooting period, perimeter defense in the NBA is at a premium. As long as Shumpert defends, he'll have a significant role in the Cavaliers' rotation.

Grade: B-

5. Channing Frye, F/C

David Liam Kyle/Getty Images

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, 44.8% 3PT, plus-0.2

Frye is the Cavaliers' most important reserve, giving them a near 7-foot sniper with one of the best releases in the NBA. Currently tied for fourth in the league in three-point accuracy, he has found his niche playing both stretch 4 and 5 on Cleveland's second unit.

"I think in Phoenix I had success because I was playing the 5 and Amar’e was playing the 4 and we just kind of mixed and matched from there," Frye told Bleacher Report.

"For me, it’s just a thing that helps our team when you have guys like Kyrie and LeBron and Kevin who demand double-teams on the block or going to the hole. It opens up situations for me and I got an attitude like, ‘I do this better than everybody in the league, so might as well keep doing it.’"

Even with J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert, it's been Frye who's become the primary scorer outside of the Big Three.

Grade: B+

4. Tristan Thompson, C

Gary Dineen/Getty Images

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 7.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 58.6% FG, plus-4.4

Death, taxes and Tristan Thompson playing every single night.

Thompson hasn't missed a game in nearly five years (Feb. 10, 2012), a string of over 400 straight contests that leads the NBA. The Cavaliers' defense improves by 7.0 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, and he's become a serviceable shot-blocker who's held opponents to just 49.8 percent shooting from within six feet, down 10.1 percent from their usual success rate.

What also makes Thompson special is his ability to effectively cover guards on the pick-and-roll. He not only defends the paint, but he is holding opposing players to 33.3 percent shooting (down from 35.7) on the three-point line as well.

Any offense from Thompson is strictly a bonus at this point. He doesn't clog up possessions but rather feeds off penetration from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to find open looks inside. His 58.6 percent shooting leads the team.

Grade: B+

2b. Kevin Love, PF

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 21.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 39.1% 3PT, plus-7.7

Love has been firmly cemented as the exclusive No. 2 on this list all year—until now.

A recent battle with food poisoning has clearly had its effect on Love's overall game. Since he consumed some bad sea bass on a team flight on Jan. 2, he's averaged just 16.6 points on 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 29.3 percent from deep.

All of this shouldn't discredit the All-Star worthy season he's put together previously, however. If anything, Love is still getting overlooked by much of the league. As Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com wrote:

"

But does he get as much credit as someone who's the only player in the East averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds deserves? Maybe not. He's not as flashy or quotable as LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Points and assists are sexier than rebounds, it's true. But make no mistake, Love has been fantastic this season.

"

While posting the best scoring, rebounding and shooting numbers of his Cleveland career, we should once again see Love at All-Star weekend.

Grade: A

2a. Kyrie Irving, PG

David Liam Kyle/Getty Images

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 23.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 41.5% 3PT, plus-5.1

Irving's surge towards sharing the No. 2 spot with Kevin Love is a result of both his scoring and recent willingness to distribute as well.

Since Dec. 17, Irving has registered 7.8 assists per game, including five contests of 10 or more. The Cavaliers are 6-0 this season when he hits double digits.

"I’m just realizing the amount of attention I’m commanding when I get into the paint," Irving told Bleacher Report. "Just seeing opportunities for my teammates, my driving lanes. Realizing that I can get my shot off almost any time I come down, now it’s just about playing the in-between game."

Of course, part of this maturation process means happier teammates as well.

"Getting everyone else involved in the offense. It’s a different team game when everyone feels good about getting the ball," Irving said.

"We don’t want to focus too much on offense, but if someone gets a fastbreak layup and hustling back on the defensive end—it just makes a world of difference. I just try to get guys easy shots as the point guard of the team, realizing with the attention I’m commanding, just be better with the pass."

Grade: A

1. LeBron James, SF

Barry Gossage/Getty Images

2016-17 Stats Per Game: 26.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 51.8% FG, plus-8.5

James is having another fantastic season and could become the first player in NBA history to average at least 25.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists at age 30 or older, per B/R Insights. Only Oscar Robertson has put up these same numbers at any age.

It's what James continues to do behind the scenes that truly makes him one of the best leaders around as well.

"Every day in practice, just setting the tone. He sets the tone offensively and defensively when we’re going over the plays," head coach Tyronn Lue told Bleacher Report.

"Going through defensive walkthroughs. It’s great for the guys to have him around to know what’s going on. The younger guys getting the chance to see him work in the weight room, get his body right, stretching, lifting and things like that. Just having him around means a lot to guys like Kevin and Kyrie and the young guys on our team."

Of course, his ability to play all five positions (as he's done this year) should put him in the MVP conversation with James Harden and Russell Westbrook as well.

"LeBron with the ball is as good of a driver and playmaker as there is in the league," Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "LeBron rolling to the rim is as good as most bigs in the league. He can pretty much do whatever he wants at any of the five positions."

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 Jan. 11. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted and sourced.