Cleveland Cavaliers: Richard Jefferson Plays A Key Role

When Richard Jefferson announced he was returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was a huge relief for this year’s potential repeat championship run.

Everywhere he’s been in the league, Richard Jefferson has been a valuable contributor. Whether that was being a member of a formidable Big Three alongside Jason Kidd and Vince Carter on the New Jersey Nets, or as a bench playmaker in a number of places, “R.J.” has always made his presence felt both on and off the floor. Since joining the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, Jefferson has played equal parts mentor for young teammates such as Kyrie Irving and fan favorite for fans of the Land.

You can tell a lot about bench players based on their body language. Sometimes it’s obvious when guys are not totally bought into their roles coming off the pine, especially veterans that have been starters the vast majority of their careers. Nonetheless, R.J. seems to more than okay with expectations of his role on this Cavaliers basketball team.

This WorldStarComedy video is a great demonstration of his unselfishness. It’s also hilarious.

https://twitter.com/WorIdStarComedy/status/823370240180572161

Since his last role as a starter on the San Antonio Spurs, Jefferson has been a bench contributor and he’s done it willingly while performing at a high level.

In his time in Cleveland, he has made things happen in his minutes on the floor. In the Cavs 125-120 victory in a shootout with the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend, Jefferson had seven points in the fourth quarter and got the Cavs to bring up their defensive intensity according to Advance Ohio’s Chris Fedor. He also had five valuable boards, too.

He plays fundamentally sound basketball on both ends and does a good job of playing team ball offensively and defensively. His team-first mentality epitomizes a player that has been influenced by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, and that allows him to raise his teammates’ level of play.

Defensively, he’s instinctive on rotations and does solid work individually for being 36-years-old. Back in that Christmas Day thriller, he was very effective in crunch time on Kevin Durant (although we all know he got away with one at the end).

On the offensive end, his assist totals aren’t exactly astronomical but he always keeps the ball moving and gets a number of hockey assists throughout a game.

In addition, he consistently finds ways to put the ball in the basket when given the opportunities. He can still finish with authority at the rim and continues to dunk over notable players, somehow. He filled it up against the Houston Rockets in a close loss recently with 16 points on six-of-six from the field and had a nifty feed to Kyrie as well.

His basketball IQ, as a 15-year NBA veteran, is an intangible that has been invaluable for the Cavs second unit. He’s been effective in spots as a starter, too. His advanced statistics are a bit down this year but as the bench situation has been fluid all season long, Jefferson hasn’t had a consistent lineup around him.

When you examine his performance on the play-by-play statistical metrics, his on court plus/minus rate per 100 possessions of +6.1 is actually his best since the 2010-11 season.

He’s been crucial with all the injuries that have plagued the Cavs this year.

So when you factor in Jefferson’s leadership on the floor, predominantly as a backup small forward to LeBron James (where he is lined up 73.0 percent of the time), and his ability to bring levity to a star-studded Cavs locker room via Snapchat, etc., he’s the ultimate glue guy on a championship contender.

By the way if you don’t follow him on snap, DO IT: rjeff24. It’s worth your while. He won For The Win’s Best Sports Snapchatter of the Year, according to contributor Alysha Tsuji.

In sum, R.J. is not only somebody that has a great plus/minus on the floor, but also off it. When you’re expected to run away with the Eastern Conference Playoffs by simply showing up, guys like Jefferson matter a whole lot.

What do you think of the role Richard Jefferson plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.