Cleveland Cavaliers Player Grades Heading into NBA Stretch Run
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the defending NBA champions—that's easy to forget with all the Golden State Warriors hype entering the season. As we enter the final stretch, that's been a good thing for LeBron James and Co.
Is there a time when the defending champs had lower expectations or had to deal with less pressure?
While they haven't been world-beaters, they're the class of the Eastern Conference. More importantly, they will theoretically get healthy right before the postseason and could be as strong as they've ever been by the time it ends.
The following player grades are on a curve. The first slide will be the new reserves, who won't receive marks. Rather, I will outline what they need to do to receive an A grade moving forward.
The second slide contains the incumbent bench players. (Bear in mind that the rankings between the two slides are independent, meaning the top player on the newcomers slide is not less important than the "worst" player on the incumbent's slide. Consider them as two separate rankings.)
The final five slides discuss the starting five and appear in order of importance.
Newcomers
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15. Derrick Williams, PF
Shams Charania of The Vertical reports the Cavaliers will sign Derrick Williams for the remainder of the season. The second pick of the 2011 draft (right behind Kyrie Irving) has never quite fit in anywhere; he's not quick enough to be a small forward, not big enough to be a power forward and not skilled enough to be a combo forward.
But playing next to James covers a lot of gaps.
Williams is averaging 10.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in eight games with the Cavs. He's also shooting 37.5 percent from three and boasts a robust 66.7 true shooting percentage, according to Basketball Reference. Those numbers aren't sustainable; he'll receive fewer minutes once Kevin Love comes back, and the deep shooting is well above his career average of 29.6 percent. But full regression isn't a given because of the LeBron effect.
Williams provides insurance against another Love injury as a temporary patch. If he can contribute around seven points and three boards per game with an above-average true shooting percentage, he'll exceed expectations.
14. Andrew Bogut, C
Bogut gives the Cavaliers a layer of rim protection off the bench, something they've needed all season.
While he may have fallen offensively this year (3.0 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting), Bogut still has the NBA's third-best defensive real plus/minus at plus-4.48, per ESPN.com. NBA.com's tracking data shows opponents within six feet of the basket shoot 9.6 percentage points below their season average when he is the closest defender.
Bogut's impact won't be in the numbers, but if he can be a consistent defensive anchor down low, he'll score an A.
13. Kyle Korver, SF
Kyle Korver is one of the "newcomers," but he's relatively seasoned at this point. Since joining the Cavs, he is shooting 50.4 percent from deep and netting 2.9 deep balls per game.
He's not the greatest defender and never has been, but he's a diligent and smart one—that curbs some of his shortcomings. The offensive impact more than makes up for whatever he gives up; That kind of shooting opens up lanes for Irving and James.
The Cavs' offensive rating is 121.6 when all three are on the court over 160 minutes. If Korver can continue to make threes at a 45 percent clip and hit two per game, it will earn him an A.
12. Deron Williams, PG
Deron Williams is no longer a star, but he's still a capable player. And the Cavaliers were in dire need of "capable."
His presence will lighten the shot-creating load for Irving and James. He's also a pretty decent shot-maker who can thrive off kick-out threes and play off the two All-Stars (three when Love returns). He is 36.9 percent on catch-and-shoot looks from deep this season, a number that should only go up.
It's rare that a player who can serve as a sixth man gets picked up at the waiver deadline. Williams' addition, along with the other three, makes the Cavs a suddenly deep team.
The best number to grade him by is plus/minus. If it's a plus, Williams should get an A.
Incumbents
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11. Kay Felder, PG
You can't expect too much from a rookie taken with the draft's No. 54 pick. So while Kay Felder wasn't able to carry the load as a backup point guard, it's hard to find too much fault with him for that.
It highlights why he was available that late, though.
Felder is not great at creating shots (41.7 effective field-goal percentage on pull-ups), but he's decent at making them (63.6 percent). The Cavs need the former more, so the young man will have to improve before he cracks the rotation again.
Grade: C-
10. Richard Jefferson, SF
Richard Jefferson is 36 years old and has a 7.9 player efficiency rating. His minus-2.48 real plus/minus is 61st out of 79 small forwards. He's also in his 16th season and has a wealth of experience, having played for Gregg Popovich and Rick Carlisle, and alongside such greats as Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki.
Jefferson seems able to reach in the WayBack Machine and pull out big moments when needed, but as a night-to-night contributor, he no longer has the physical tools of a consistent performer.
He's a good guy to have on the roster, but not in the rotation.
Grade: D
9. James Jones, SG/SF
James Jones is a decent spot-up shooter who is knocking down a sterling 59.2 percent from deep, albeit while averaging 3.0 points per game.
But Jones offers far more than that. From LeBron last season, reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com: "I told J.J., as long as I'm playing, he's going to be around. He's not allowed to stop playing basketball. So, I'm going to make sure I got a roster spot for him. I love him. He's the greatest teammate I've ever had."
Kevin Love concurred, saying: "I go to him with everything. Whether it's the game, personal life, we talk about everything. He's a guy; I'm always just picking his brain."
There's no reason to believe any of that has changed, and I'm not going to start arguing with James about who makes a great teammate.
Grade: B
8. DeAndre Liggins, SG/SF
Deandre Liggins doesn't do much on offense; he's averaging just 2.8 points per game. But on defense, his .90 DRPM is sixth among small forwards. He's a lanky 6'6" and guards anywhere from the 1 to the 3 effectively. When he's on the court with the four starters, the Cavs' defensive rating is 97.9, and the net rating is plus-28.3.
The problem is he's so limited offensively that he's almost useless in lineups that don't feature terrific creators.
Grade: C
7. Iman Shumpert, SF
Iman Shumpert is hitting a career-high 1.4 threes per game, and he's shooting 38.1 percent from deep, making him a nice three-and-D wing.
There are indicators that his defense might be overrated, though.
The Cavs' defensive rating is 107.1 with him on the court and 106.0 without him. While some of that might be due to the bench's ineffectiveness through the bulk of the season, his plus-0.3 DRPM suggests he's at best a neutral impact defensively.
Shumpert's also a mixed bag based on the eye test. He tends to be a blanket in isolation and does a good job stopping penetration, but he struggles going over picks. Synergy Sports shows he gives up 1.206 points per possession when he goes over the pick, placing him in the ninth percentile.
Grade: C-
6. Channing Frye, PF
It's hard to get a bead on Channing Frye. His role is to be a backup stretch 4, and in that sense, he's done his job. As a reserve, he's averaging 8.8 points and 1.89 threes per game at 42.3 percent.
On the other hand, when more was asked of him, he produced less. He's never been a good defender, but this year he's been awful. Out of 92 power forwards, only Jabari Parker has a lower DRPM than Frye's minus-1.17.
He does his job, but nothing else.
Grade: C
5. J.R. Smith, SG
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J.R. Smith has only played 21 games this season, and they weren't great. He averaged just 8.6 points and a 47.3 effective field-goal percentage. Then he broke his thumb, had surgery and has been out since Dec. 20. He is expected back by April, according to Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer (via Cleveland.com).
That's after he held out for a four-year, $57 million contract he didn't sign until Oct. 15.
Smith has developed as a defender over the years, and now he's somewhere between capable and good, depending on how much effort he's putting forth. The Cavs were marginally better with Smith on the court, with a net difference of 1.7 points per 100 possessions. That's nothing compared to the 9.3 difference during the postseason last year.
Smith needs to get healthy and back to being that three-and-D wing who was instrumental in winning the title. He hasn't done enough yet to earn a grade this year.
Grade: Incomplete
4. Tristan Thompson, C
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Tristan Thompson is the type of guy all fans wish was on their team. He has a voracious appetite for offensive rebounds and has evolved into one of the league's better defensive bigs.
He defends the ball-handler in the pick-and-roll capably enough, which accounts for 39.7 percent of his plays, yielding 0.97 points per possession. Spot-up shooters have a 48.1 effective field-goal percentage against him, and he protects the cylinder, holding opponents to 10.8 percentage points below their season averages within six feet of the rim.
He's done that while playing hurt, according to head coach Tyronn Lue, as reported by Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com: "Tristan's been great for us defensively really as of late, starting to get healthy. He's been in the right spot when guys are getting beat back door, or getting beat off the dribble, he's doing a great job being in a help position and ready to block those shots. He's gotten better and better at that."
Asked to clarify what he meant by "get healthy," Lue said: "Yeah. He's been going through some tendinitis all year, his knee has been bothering him a little bit all year. He's finally starting to come around and he's feeling good."
Thompson denied it, but that's what you expect from a guy like that. His left arm could fall off in the middle of the court, and he'd just toss it to the bench with his right one and keep playing.
While it would be nice to see a broader offensive skill set from Thompson at this point in his career, I'm not going to dock him too much for that.
Grade: B
3. Kevin Love, PF
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Before he got hurt, Kevin Love was having the best year of his Cavaliers career, averaging 20.0 points and 11.1 boards. Per 100 possessions, those numbers (31.2 points and 17.3 rebounds) are on par with his Minnesota Timberwolves days (29.6 and 18.9).
The Cavs are 33-13 in games Love played and only 8-5 without him; their net rating is plus-9.2 with him and minus-1.1 without. Even the defense is six points per 100 possessions better when he's on the court.
He was stretching the court to open lanes for Irving and James. He was back to delivering beautiful outlet passes. He was the Kevin Love of old and, mercifully, for about 15 minutes, trade rumors stopped.
Then Carmelo Anthony happened, er, didn't happen. Then Love had arthroscopic knee surgery on a loose body in his left knee.
If all goes well, he'll return shortly before the playoffs.
Grade: A-
2. Kyrie Irving, PG
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Kyrie Irving plays beautiful basketball, at least when he has the ball. He's also had some huge clutch moments, such as in last year's Finals.
This is one of the trappings of depending too much on the eye test: Beautiful doesn't mean elite, and clutch doesn't equate to great. An otherworldly drive to the basket counts for just as many points as an ordinary one. And while clutch shots are memorable, they're only a fraction of the total shots a player takes.
When you look at the big picture, it's not damning of Uncle Drew, but it's telling.
He produces points efficiently but not on an elite level. He averages 1.036 points per possession, which places him in the 81st percentile, and he notches 1.304 points per possession (85th percentile) if you include his passing.
He's a good scorer, but he's not an elite one. His passing has come a long way, but he's still a level below guys like James Harden and John Wall or even LeBron.
Defensively, Irving's still a liability. He surrenders 0.997 points per possession when the primary defender, which puts him in the 16th percentile. His minus-1.59 DRPM is 68th out of 80 point guards. He is 32nd in the league in RPM wins, 26th in PER and 25th in win shares.
Stephen Curry, Kyle Lowry and Harden all play off the ball less than Irving does, but all three have more screen assists per 36 minutes.
Irving is a beautiful scorer and clutch shot-maker, but he needs to flesh out the rest of his game.
Grade: B
1. LeBron James, SF
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When you're one of the top two or three players in the history of the planet, it comes with some drawbacks. Chiefly, you end up getting graded against your best self.
After James had the greatest Finals ever, it's hard to stay at that level.
He's averaging 25.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists while shooting 54.0 percent from the field. The only other players to put up comparable numbers (25/8/8/50) in a season are Michael Jordan at 25 in 1988-89 and Oscar Robertson at 24 in 1962-23.
LeBron is 32. He's averaging a career high in rebounds and assists. He's playing more minutes than he has since 2013-14. So much for coasting to the postseason.
It just goes to show how "ordinary" for the King is extraordinary for mere mortals.
Weirdly, though, he's not in the MVP hunt because his bar is himself, and he has not turned the basketball into a 9.5-inch diamond or whatever it would take to top last year's Finals.
It sure is enough to get him an A, though.
Grade: A+
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