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I sorted the roster by PER in basketball reference and the entire rotational roster breaks down into convenient pairs.
Group 1) The stars: Mitchell and Allen fit and it shows. They are both efficient scorers. One rebounds. The other runs the offense. A+ Applause!!!
Group 2) The Mobleys: The only player comparable to Evan on the roster is his brother and that's only because they got the same last name. Evan is otherwise a unicorn and his best days are still ahead of him. He'd get a B if the season ended now but I can hope to see this grow to an A before the team cleans out the lockets for the summer.
Group 3) The PG's: Craig! and Garland are way closer than they should be in everything except 3 point attempts. Craig is over achieving and Garland under. I don't know how to feel about this pair at all, but if we can keep this level of production from the PG position, the Cavs are OK. Grade: B. PG position looks solid.
Group 4) Bench scorers: Merrill and LeVert are both the offense off the bench but they do it in very different ways. Merrill does it by shooting lights out with the best TS% on the team. LeVert by being a secondary ball handler and tossing bricks that give him the worst TS% on the team. I'm still not a LeVert fan, but I acknowledge that the team thrives with that 10% extra ball movement. Merrill is a one trick pony but that trick is called "lotsa points" and you can't lose if you score more points. And his ability to space might open up the floor as effectively as LeVert's ball movement. Grade: B
Group 5) The backup Centers: Tristan Thompson and Damian Jones backups. Thompson was better, but Damian can shoot a bit. If things go right for the rest of the season, neither will be important.
Group 6) Wings: Okoro and Strus are what passes for SF's on the team. Max is a basketball player. Isaac is an athlete. They contribute in very different ways but so far the amount they have contributed has been about the same according to advanced stats. Both might be better as guards in many lineups. Cavs still need a bit more from the SF spot and Strus hasn't been outstanding. Yet while both of these guys are still negative producers, the SF position is just a small drag on the team instead of the infected bed sore that it was last year. Strus deserves some credit for stabilizing a position that was on life support. They get a C, and that's a giant improvement.
Group 7) Stretch 4's: Wade and Niang are the stretch 4's. Wade rebounds better and has a decent +/-. Niang passes better and has a terrible +/-. I hope Wade doesn't forget how to shoot in April again. I hope Niang remembers how to shoot again by April. They both get a C-, and that's only because Niang got in that guys face yesterday
Long term, the Cavs need to move past their quartet of almosts: LeVert, Okoro, Wade, Naing. I don't see the team making it out of the east with these guys combining for 48 minutes a night. Now if the team replaces 3 of those guys with a legit rotational NBA wing that deserves 30 minutes a night, this team makes it to the finals.
Group 1) The stars: Mitchell and Allen fit and it shows. They are both efficient scorers. One rebounds. The other runs the offense. A+ Applause!!!
Group 2) The Mobleys: The only player comparable to Evan on the roster is his brother and that's only because they got the same last name. Evan is otherwise a unicorn and his best days are still ahead of him. He'd get a B if the season ended now but I can hope to see this grow to an A before the team cleans out the lockets for the summer.
Group 3) The PG's: Craig! and Garland are way closer than they should be in everything except 3 point attempts. Craig is over achieving and Garland under. I don't know how to feel about this pair at all, but if we can keep this level of production from the PG position, the Cavs are OK. Grade: B. PG position looks solid.
Group 4) Bench scorers: Merrill and LeVert are both the offense off the bench but they do it in very different ways. Merrill does it by shooting lights out with the best TS% on the team. LeVert by being a secondary ball handler and tossing bricks that give him the worst TS% on the team. I'm still not a LeVert fan, but I acknowledge that the team thrives with that 10% extra ball movement. Merrill is a one trick pony but that trick is called "lotsa points" and you can't lose if you score more points. And his ability to space might open up the floor as effectively as LeVert's ball movement. Grade: B
Group 5) The backup Centers: Tristan Thompson and Damian Jones backups. Thompson was better, but Damian can shoot a bit. If things go right for the rest of the season, neither will be important.
Group 6) Wings: Okoro and Strus are what passes for SF's on the team. Max is a basketball player. Isaac is an athlete. They contribute in very different ways but so far the amount they have contributed has been about the same according to advanced stats. Both might be better as guards in many lineups. Cavs still need a bit more from the SF spot and Strus hasn't been outstanding. Yet while both of these guys are still negative producers, the SF position is just a small drag on the team instead of the infected bed sore that it was last year. Strus deserves some credit for stabilizing a position that was on life support. They get a C, and that's a giant improvement.
Group 7) Stretch 4's: Wade and Niang are the stretch 4's. Wade rebounds better and has a decent +/-. Niang passes better and has a terrible +/-. I hope Wade doesn't forget how to shoot in April again. I hope Niang remembers how to shoot again by April. They both get a C-, and that's only because Niang got in that guys face yesterday
Long term, the Cavs need to move past their quartet of almosts: LeVert, Okoro, Wade, Naing. I don't see the team making it out of the east with these guys combining for 48 minutes a night. Now if the team replaces 3 of those guys with a legit rotational NBA wing that deserves 30 minutes a night, this team makes it to the finals.
