Cleveland Cavaliers' Biggest X-Factors Ahead of 2018 NBA Playoffs
For the fourth straight season since LeBron James returned, the Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched a spot in the NBA playoffs.
This year is different, however. There's no more Kyrie Irving to put up 25 points per night and take pressure off James by throwing the team onto his back at will.
Kevin Love remains as a solid No. 2, but after him, there is a plethora of role players and veterans. Cleveland is perhaps the deepest it's been since James' return in 2014, but not having a true third star for the first time will test its depth and challenge different players to contribute.
The road to a fourth straight NBA Finals is possible, but the Cavaliers are facing perhaps their toughest climb since LeBron came back. With a revolving door of injured players the past few months, we still don't even know what head coach Tyronn Lue's rotation will look like.
While James and Love lead the way, this team will rely on several other X-factors to reach the 2018 Finals when the playoffs begin Saturday.
Jose Calderon Fighting Father Time
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When Dwyane Wade agreed to sign with Cleveland in September, it likely meant the Cavs would have to trade beloved locker room presence Richard Jefferson or cut newly signed veteran point guard Jose Calderon.
As painful as it was, parting with Jefferson was the right choice.
Calderon has been an important piece, ready to step in and play big minutes but not saying a negative word if sitting for an extended period of time.
LeBron discussed his teammate with reporters:
"You got to have one or two guys like that on every team, someone who has kind of like zero ego, zero notion of entitlement. Listen, his whole thing is like: 'I'm going to stay ready. I'll stay ready so if my number is called,' and he goes out and produces, and that's big for our team because you never know when someone is going to go down."
At 36, Calderon plays with an energy that teammates a decade younger often lack. He's not just a hustle guy either, leading the team with a 46.4 percent three-point shooting mark. The Cavs' offensive rating improves by 2.3 points per 100 possessions with Calderon on the floor, and opposing teams score 1.8 points per 100 possessions fewer when he's playing.
After Calderon bounced in and out of the rotation all year, Lue recently told reporters that the guard would be getting playoff minutes.
"I know what I can do out there. I just have to stay ready for whenever my name is called," Calderon said. "Just give effort. I try to bring energy out there and get everyone involved."
The team will utilize his pass-first attitude—often alongside green-light scorers Jordan Clarkson and JR Smith—when James needs a breather. Eventually, he may be squeezed out of the rotation, but for now, Cleveland needs Calderon's youthful energy and bounce for at least a few more weeks.
Larry Nance Jr.'s Hamstring
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Can a hamstring have that big of an effect on a player's performance? If he's a 6'9", 230-pound center whose biggest strength is a 40-plus-inch vertical, then yes.
Nance got off to a hot start with the Cavs as both a starter and a reserve, putting up 11.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks in 24.2 minutes per contest while shooting 60.6 percent from the floor over 13 games.
Unfortunately, a hamstring injury caused him to miss the next four contests, and he is apparently not 100 percent. Lately, Nance has seemed much more grounded. He's lost his starting job to Jeff Green and has been left fighting for minutes with Tristan Thompson.
Since returning, Nance is averaging just 5.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks on 45.1 percent shooting in 17.3 minutes per night.
When healthy, he is Cleveland's best option at center. He can score around the basket, elevate for rebounds and switch seamlessly on defense. The Cavaliers' defensive rating is still 29th overall (109.5 points allowed per 100 possessions), but with Nance on the floor, it falls to 103.5 (sixth overall in the NBA).
The Cavs need his hamstring to heal so he can get back to his acrobatic pre-injury ways.
Rodney Hood's Scoring
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With the absence of Irving, Rodney Hood needs to become the third-leading scorer next to James and Love.
Hood has all the tools to succeed. He's a 6'8" shooting guard who's able to spot up and shoot or play in the pick-and-roll. Hood is 25 and set to enter restricted free agency, so both he and the Cavs need this partnership to work.
Confidence and his role have been issues for Hood, especially after the Utah Jazz traded him at the Feb. 8 deadline. Cleveland has used him both as a reserve and as its starting small forward and shooting guard. Currently out with a minor Achilles injury, Hood has also battled back problems in his quest for consistency.
While defenses game-plan around James and Love, Hood's scoring has proved to be valuable.
The Cavs are 11-2 when Hood scores 10 points or more and just 2-6 when he falls to single digits. When he plays 28 minutes or more, Cleveland is 6-2.
Hood also allows the Cavaliers to play faster and push in transition. A healthy 22.2 percent of his scoring is done in transition, where he's been a slightly more efficient scorer (1.23 points per possession) than even James (1.22 points per possession).
"Just getting out, not having to stay in the half court. Getting out with LeBron, Kevin throwing amazing outlet passes, it encourages us to get out and run and get some easy baskets that way," Hood said.
If he can shake the injuries and once again become a staple of the starting five, look for Hood to carry a significant offensive load this postseason.
Jeff Green's Defensive Versatility
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Lue typically keeps lineup and schematic changes to himself for as long as possible, which made it surprising when he named Green a starter for the postseason last week, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:
"I think with LeBron [James], Kevin [Love] said he likes playing that 5 now, and it gives us more spacing. I think also just being versatile. ... So, we beat Boston, who's second in the East, with Jeff starting at the 4. We beat Toronto twice with him starting at the 4, so, it's good for us right now and we'll just see what happens."
Green is averaging 11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game and shooting 47.8 percent from the floor this season. Not surprisingly, playing next to James has resurrected his career.
While far from a perfect player, there's a lot to like about Green. At 6'9", he's athletic and can handle the ball and lead a fast break. Offensively, he can hijack possessions at times but has shown the ability to cut and screen well next to James.
Green can score, but this lineup change is all about the newfound defensive possibilities.
"I just like his versatility, I think defensive-wise we can put him on [DeMar] DeRozan, you can put him on John Wall, Bradley Beal. You can put him on [Victor] Oladipo," Lue said, per McMenamin. "I just like that we can switch a lot of 1 through 4 stuff, and it gives us another ball-handler on the floor too."
It's worth noting that Cleveland tried a similar defensive approach earlier this season with Jae Crowder as the starting power forward and Love at center, switching four positions because of the added athleticism.
The Cavs could also use Nance in this role if his hamstring heals, but for now, Green gives them the added length and switchability Lue is looking for.
JR Smith's Outside Shooting
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Now primarily in a reserve role, JR Smith is beginning to thrive.
Over his last 14 games, Smith is shooting 48.8 percent from deep, excelling at both his catch-and-shoot looks (45.5 percent) and spot-up game (62.5 percent).
This can partially be traced to his new (old) role as a sixth man, where he is free to put up shots without having to defer to James and Love.
The Cavs call plays for Smith when he's a member of the second unit, something they rarely did when he was a starter.
His hot shooting makes a difference too. Cleveland is 11-3 in the games in which Smith has made at least three three-pointers while shooting 50 percent or better.
"I'm playing better. I can always play better, but compared to the way I've been playing, it just feels better," Smith said recently, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. "I just got back to saying, 'The hell with it,' and smile. This is the game I fell in love with and sometimes just got to fall back in love with something you already love."
Calderon, Thompson and Nance could be sharing second-unit minutes with Smith, and he'll need to assume more of an offensive role to complement the passers and rebounders around him.
That shouldn't take much convincing.
Greg Swartz covers the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report. Stats provided by NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.
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