Sixteen games into the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers sit at 9-7, and the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. While their record is somewhat pedestrian, there have been several positive signs during the team’s current three-game winning streak. The defense has improved (most notably the defense of Kyrie Irving), holding the opposition to just 40% shooting over the last five games. LeBron James has been able to play well, players are sharing the ball, and Kevin Love’s shooting percentages are on the uptick as he and his teammates become more comfortable with each other.
Unfortunately one position on this team is still cause for concern, that of starting shooting guard. While Shawn Marion has played well since moving into this role, having him in this role has put stress on the team in a variety of ways, which we will explore as we look at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ options at shooting guard.
Sir Charles In Charge
Shawn Marion
As we said before, Marion has played very well since moving into the starting lineup. He has been the team’s best perimeter defender, having shut down shooters such as Kyle Korver and Bradley Beal in recent wins. In fact, the Cavaliers’ defense has been 5.7 points per 100 possessions better when Marion has been on the court. Marion has been solid on offense as well, both moving the ball and moving without the ball, running the floor in transition, and shooting a spectacular 47.1% from three, albeit on just over one attempt per game. Marion has been a terrific complement to the big three of James, Love, and Irving.
So what’s the problem? Very little from Marion (although a two guard who was more of a natural three point shooter would be nice). Rather, the issue is how the rest of the team is affected by Marion’s move to the starting lineup. When Marion signed with the Cavaliers this season, the plan was for him to backup James at small forward and play some time at power forward, nominally becoming the Cavaliers’ fourth big man. However with Marion starting, James had been forced to play heavy minutes until the recent string of blowout wins. While Marion still sees some time at small forward behind James, he cannot truly back him up or play power forward without playing very high minutes, something the 36 year old should not do.
Another negative for the Cavaliers that has been at least somewhat created by Marion’s move to the starting lineup has been the poor production from the bench. With Marion starting and Matthew Dellavedova hurt, the only consistent bench production has come from Tristan Thompson. The bench currently offers little in the way of scoring or rebounding and was outscored 52-16 by the Indiana Pacers’ bench during Saturday night’s win. Of course the bench scoring could be helped with improved play from the team’s original starter at shooting guard…
FanSided
As has been stated on multiple occasions, what the Cavaliers wanted from Dion Waiters this season was very simple, hit catch-and-shoot threes and play dogged defense. Unfortunately, Waiters wasn’t comfortable with this role, feeling he was better off creating with the ball in his hands, and was sent to the bench after starting the first three games of the season. Waiters not being able to fill that “3 and D” role led to Marion being moved into the starting lineup due to his superior defense and ability to play without the ball. This both hindered the bench and caused James and Marion to play heavier minutes than the team had hoped.
Waiters could still help the team as a scorer off the bench, which the Cavaliers desperately need. In fact, despite his desire to start, Waiters has been more effective coming off the bench during his career. He was also a sixth man during his time at Syracuse, and many see him having the potential to become a Jamal Crawford-type scorer off the bench. Unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet this season. Waiters is currently averaging just 9.1 points per game while shooting 37% from the floor (25.8% from three). While there are some viable reasons for him scoring less, (such as the presence of the big three and having the ball in his hands less as Coach David Blatt seems unwilling to play him at point guard), there is no doubt that Waiters is struggling and that those struggles have contributed greatly to the Cavaliers having one of the weakest benches in the league. Still, there is another bench player who could eventually become the Cavaliers starter at shooting guard…
Dec 2, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Mike Miller (18) defends a shot by Milwaukee Bucks guard Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Let’s forget his struggles this season for a minute. While many point to the signing of Miller as a way to keep LeBron James happy, the fact is Miller was pretty good for the Memphis Grizzlies last season. Miller shot an amazing 45.9% from deep last season, the second highest average in the league behind Kyle Korver. After missing plenty of games due to multiple injuries over the last few years, Miller was also the only Grizzly to play in all 82 regular season games, as well as all seven of Memphis’s playoff games. For this Cavaliers team, the ideal shooting guard on offense is one who plays off the ball and can space the floor. For most of his career Mike Miller has been one of the best in the NBA at these things. Playing him at the start of each half with the starting unit may be just the thing to get him into a rhythm and get Marion back into the role planned for him.
Unfortunately Miller gives up all of his value on offense by being a complete defensive sieve. Last year the Grizzlies’ defense was 7.9 points per 100 possessions worse with Miller on the floor. The year before the Heat were only 2.1 points per 100 possessions worse on defense with Miller, but at 34 years old, having battled countless injuries over the years, and with speculation that he may have come to camp a bit out of shape, Miller may not be able to compete on that end of the floor any more. As a team that has just begun to find its defensive identity, the Cavaliers may not be able to play Miller real minutes right now without regressing at that end. Still, don’t be surprised to see Miller make some big contributions later in the year as the Cavaliers figure out his best role with the team.
Then last night Miller is the catalyst to the Cavs win, including a big block (who would have guessed?).
Other Options
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Many trade options for perimeter players who could help the Cavaliers at shooting guard have been discussed in multiple forums. Corey Brewer has been linked to the Cavaliers as well as the Houston Rockets, but Brewer is by no means an ideal fit. While he is a force in transition and has a high steal rate, Brewer has never had any real impact on his teams’ defense and is a horrid outside shooter. Andrei Kirilenko is an interesting option, if only because he could potentially fill the role intended for Marion while allowing “The Matrix” to continue at shooting guard. But Kirilenko’s availability, as well as whether or not he is still the player he once was, is highly unknown. We have also discussed potential trades with the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets, but both of those teams have been playing well and unlikely to trade away any contributors soon.
For the Cavaliers to contend for the NBA championship this season, they will have to have a strong rotation with a solid bench to back up their powerful starting lineup. Finding the answer at shooting guard while also having depth at both wing positions will go a long way into creating the rotation they need. Luckily for the Cavaliers they are talented enough to earn a high playoff seed while they spend this season trying to fix these issues. How they do so will be one of the most interesting subplots of this season.
What do you think the Cavaliers should do at shooting guard?