Could Jordan McRae Play Key Role?

Jordan McRae was added losing out on Joe Johnson. Could he now play a key role for the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Signing McRae after losing out on Johnson was seen as just taking a shot on an athletic player who could score. He wasn’t the wing that Johnson is. He wasn’t the veteran that Johnson is. He didn’t have LeBron James‘ respect like Johnson did.

He also played a position that seemed pretty full with Kyrie Irving, Matthew Dellavedova and Mo Williams. With Williams hurt, McRae still got very little playing time but excited some when he did.

Before the final game of the NBA season, McRae’s most minutes with the Cavs came against the Miami Heat, 16 minutes, in a blowout loss.

Then came the final game of the Regular Season and Jordan McRae’s coming out party: 36 points in 47 minutes on 14 of 29 shooting.

To be fair, those stats came with few regulars playing for either the Cavs or the Detroit Pistons as they prepared to matchup in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. McRae played the most minutes for either team and took double the shots of any other player.

However, McRae showed the type of talent that got him signed by the Cavs after a stint with the Phoenix Suns. He drove to the basket, finished in traffic, got to the foul line 8 times, had 7 assists and 4 rebounds. He even made 3 of 5 shots from deep.

Based on that performance, and Mo being out for at least Game 1 and probably more, has McRae earned a possible role for the Cavs?

The easy answer is of course not. Irving and Delly will get the primary point guard minutes while J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert lock in the majority of 2 guard minutes. In the Playoffs, with days off between games, rotations are shortened as players get time to rest and each minute being more important.

On the other hand. McRae could have a very specific niche for the Cavs. At 6’5″, McRae is 1 inch taller than Delly and a few taller than both Irving and Williams. He is listed at the same height as Shump and an inch shorter than J.R. While McRae isn’t known as a great defender, he has long arms, quick hands and good feet.

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Against bigger, quicker guards, McRae could be a solid rotation option. Specifically against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, McRae could be very helpful against Shaun Livingston. The 6’7″ guard can create from the outside or from the post. He takes smaller guards into the post where he can hit turnarounds or pass out when a double team comes. McRae could make that much more difficult.

He could also be helpful when the Cavs go small. He is an offensive threat beyond what Shump currently gives, though a clear downgrade on defense. Going small, with Irving getting rest, with Delly, J.R. and McRae surrounded by LeBron and Tristan Thompson would keep a solid offense/defense balance.

While planning for McRae’s role against the Warriors, it would be smart for Tyronn Lue to get him some minutes in each game if possible. Taking 6 to 10 minutes for McRae could keep him ready for a bigger role if and when needed.

Do you think the 6’5″ McRae could be a key to the Cavs Title hunt?