Can Anderson Varejao Become A Positive Again?
By Luke Sicari
A fan favorite among Cleveland Cavaliers fans worldwide, Anderson Varejao hasn’t been able to maintain a full bill of health throughout his career. “The Wild Thing,” known for his bouncy hair and energetic style on the court suffered yet another season ending injury last season, this time a torn Achilles placed the Brazilian on the shelf.
Despite being a beloved figure in the locker-room, Varejao was actually a negative for the Cavs on the court last season. The Cavaliers had an offensive rating of 108.4 with Varejao off the floor last season. Alternatively, when Varejao was on the court, Cleveland had an offensive rating of 104.4, which is still an elite number but a negative difference nonetheless.
The Cavs also had a better defensive rating with Varejao off the court last season, with a ranking of 103.8 with him off the court, compared to 105.3 when Varejao was on the court. Varejao is mostly known league-wide for his rebounding expertise but even that was a detrimental factor for Cleveland with him on the floor last season. The Cavalier had a rebounding rate of 51.1% with Varejao off the floor and that number dropped to 50.9% when he was playing.
Judging from last seasons 26 game sample size, it is a fair assessment to ask what actually Varejao has in the tank for this upcoming season. He is 32 years old and is returning from basketball’s most dreaded injury. He is stuck on a team with a loaded crop of big men, consisting of Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson. Many questioned the decision made from Cavalier GM David Griffin last off-season when the team signing Varejao for an additional three years on contract worth approximately $30M.
That being said, the final season of Varejao’s contract is a team option, thus unguaranteed money and creating a scenario where Cleveland could potentially hold a Brendan Haywood contract 2.0 in a couple of years time, which could come in handy down the line. We aren’t worrying about the future here though, as the fact of the matter is that Cleveland will be paying Varejao $9.7M this season and even though the Cavs won’t get their value for money, Varejao still has a chance to be a solid contributor to the Cavaliers this season.
Varejao has been referred to as an ‘Energizer Bunny’ throughout his career and for good reason. The intensity that Varejao brings to the court every night is simply unquestionable. Whether it be chasing a loose ball, going up for a rebound or just throwing his body around with reckless abundant, when Varejao is on the floor, the Cavaliers energy levels and vitality goes up a notch.
It is those imperatives that will ensure Varejao always have a role in the team, despite his age or injury history. The innate ability that Varejao possess to simply beat his opponent to the ball on every possession will always make him a player who the Cavaliers can rely on. Varejao has no hidden strings. What you see with him is what you get, so when Cleveland puts him on the floor for 15 minutes a night, they know those 15 minutes will be filled with a ferocity and excitement for the game that only Varejao can provide.
Varejao has never been a major stat sheet stuffer over his career but with the NBA’s introduction of hustle stats (which was used in the NBA Summer League this year and probably won’t be added to regular-season stats until at least the 2016/17 season); Varejao’s stats may be taking a positive turn. The hustle stats will consist of the recording of 2 and 3 pointers contested, deflections, loose balls recovered and charges taken. When these intangibles start to become will, tangible and recordable, Varejao will see his name near the top of some of these categories, a nod to his boisterous and non-stop play style.
Everyone knows about Varejao’s hustle game. It is in his DNA and has made him one of the most annoying players to play against in the league. An element of his game that Varejao only really furthered a few years ago was his offensive game and his ability to hit mid-range jump shots is now another offensive weapon the Cavaliers have in the arsenal.
25.1% of Varejao’s shots last season came in the form of catch and shoot jumpers and this number should only rise, as his ability to now be the pop man in a pick and pop has opened up a whole new component of his game. Varejao is known as a great teammate and shares a good amount of chemistry with all his Cavalier mates but especially LeBron James. The two have publicly been known as best buddies dating back to James’ first stint in Cleveland and that bond can create a 2-man game on offense that defense’s will have headaches to defend.
Decide to double James off the pick set from Varejao? Sure, that sounds like a good idea in theory, as James is, well, the best player in the world but when you realize that Varejao actually shot 50.0% on those aforementioned catch and shoot jumpers last season and when his shot chart is absolute money from the elbows and mid-range area, the defense suddenly needs to make a spilt second decision and can’t afford to leave Varejao wide open.
Last season, Varejao received 30.6% of passes from James and when he did, the duo’s dangerous pick and pop game was on full display. Varejao shot an incredible 65.7% from the field when he received a pass from James, which puts on full display how dangerous the two can be together.
It isn’t just James who can create a threatening pick and pop/roll game with Varejao, as Kyrie Irving had some success with it as well last season. Varejao received more passes from Irving last season than anyone else on the Cleveland roster (34.9%) and on those receptions; he shot 52.7% from the field. Obviously this number isn’t as impressive as the one with James but it is still a very high percentage for big man and it gives Cleveland even more offensive flexibility and options, like they don’t have enough already.
Varejao has also increased his capacity to finish around the basket. 69.8% of Varejao’s shots came from within 10ft or less last season and he shot a very effective 58.3% on those attempts. The above shot chart documents Varejao’s efficiency around the rim last season and the fact that he also shot 73.3% from the free thrown line last season negates the oppositions ability to simply hack Varejao and send him the line, as he isn’t a horrible foul shooter.
Varejao’s intelligence and basketball IQ also allows him to make some pretty slick passes for a big man and always make the correct decision. An interesting stat that pops up when breaking down Varejao’s passing ability is how much better Love seemed to be last season when receiving a pass from Varejao.
Now, the sample size is relatively small, as only 7.2% of Varejao’s passes made went to Love last season but of those 7.2%, Love’s shooting efficiency took a massive hit upwards. Love shot an unworldly 81.3% when receiving a pass from Varejao last season, a bizarre number but it does indicate Varejao’s ability to put the ball in the best position for his teammates. Irving also shot a very notable 48.9% from the field (60.0% from 2-point range) when receiving a pass from Varejao last season and seeing that 40.5% of his passes actually went to Irving last season, it creates for a larger sample size and it further highlights Varejao’s efficient passing and decision making skills.
Another way that Varejao can help Cleveland on the court this season is his rebounding. Now, while I mentioned earlier that the Cavs rebounding rate actually dropped a tad with Varejao on the floor last season, I would bet that it doesn’t happen again this season, due to his frantic approach to rebounding and also due to the other great rebounders Cleveland also possess’ on the roster.
Varejao’s rebounding ability sometimes gets lost within the excellence of Thompson, Love and Mozgov but discount his ability on the boards at your own peril. With 2 contesting rebounders, Varejao still pulled down 0.5 offensive rebounds (a better number than Love, 0.3) and he also averaged 2.2 offensive boards a game (again, a better number than Love, 1.9).
As a defense, the last thing you want to do is give an offensive juggernaut like the Cavaliers extra possessions to score. With Varejao on the court and his ability to pull down offensive boards even when being contested, gives the Cavs yet another luxury, as pairing him with Thompson would make Cleveland almost unstoppable on the glass.
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With Varejao’s injury history, there is no doubt that his minutes must be limited and with Cleveland’s flurry of big man, David Blatt shouldn’t have any problems in doing so. Playing Varejao for around 15-20 minutes a night and possibly giving his some games off on second halves of back-to-backs, will give Varejao every possible chance to stay fresh and healthy during the season.
Varejao hasn’t become useless for the Cavs. Despite his seemingly large contract, Varejao still brings that energy he is loved for to the court, his improved his offensive repertoire and he also gives Cleveland another rebounding machine. All of these elements will ensure that Varejao will once again become a positive on the court for the Cavaliers this season.