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John Holland Earns Training Camp Invite With Cleveland Cavaliers

By Quenton S. Albertie

May 6, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks over Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) during the second half in game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 121-108. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 6, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks over Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) during the second half in game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 121-108. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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John Holland has signed a training camp deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The natural scorer has a legitimate shot to make the roster.

John Holland is a natural scorer and could be valuable depth for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After being waived by the Boston Celtics, Holland will be in training camp for the defending NBA champions after signing a training camp deal to compete and make the team.

At 27, Holland is entering the prime of his basketball career physically and mentally. A volume scorer with the skills needed to score off-the-dribble and off-the-ball with natural and instinctive play, Holland has been unable to latch on to a NBA team for the long-term because of his physical profile.

Standing at 6-foot-5, Holland is undersized for a small forward . However, he lacks the quickness and athleticism to be an NBA shooting guard. Though a player like Kent Bazemore of the Atlanta Hawks is an undersized small forward, Bazemore has been successful because he’s an above-average athlete.

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Holland on the other hand must find the right situation to be on a NBA roster and then proceed from there. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, Holland could bring the volume scoring small forward the team lacks without LeBron James on the floor. With 18 back-to-back contests this season, it’s a certainty that James will rest and miss games.

Without James on the court, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 4-14 since the start of last season. This is in part because James is a cerebral, athletic and talented player whose presence isn’t easily replaced. It’s also because without James on the floor, the team finds it hard to consistently put points on the board. With Holland on board, that won’t be a problem.

In 37 games with the Canton Charge, the Cleveland Cavaliers exclusive NBA Developmental-League affiliate, Holland started 30 contests while averaging 30.2 minutes per game. While shooting an incredible 52.0 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from three-point range, Holland averaged 16.0 points per game and displayed a natural feel for scoring the ball. Able to score off of screens, drives, post moves and from the perimeter, there’s not a way Holland can’t put the ball in the bucket.

The team only has one other natural scorer on the wing, Jordan McRae. However, McRae often has tunnel vision as a scorer and though he’ll get points, it will come at the expense of ball movement. With Holland, that isn’t the case.

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Holland also chipped in 3.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game last season with the Charge. Though these averages aren’t eye-popping statistics, they’re indicative of the level of activity Holland has on-the-court. He is more than just a scorer, and he’ll work hard on both ends and consistently try to find his teammates in scoring position as well.

With incredible depth at the wing, Holland has an uphill battle to climb to make the roster. Nonetheless, he’s a fit for the Cavs who need a contingency plan in case James, or even another member of the Big Three goes down, and the team has to replace their scoring output.

After playing for the Cavaliers exclusive D-League affiliate last year, Holland could find himself in Canton again. This time on assignment for the Cleveland Cavaliers as he waits to fill in as depth if injuries occur and when rest is needed.

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John Holland has a shot to make the Cleveland Cavaliers roster. Should the team bring this scorer aboard? Let us know in the comments section and follow @KJG_NBA and @30for30Albertie on Twitter.