Why Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson should start

Coach Tyronn Lue has shuffled his starting line-up multiple times but two permanent changes he needs to make are inserting Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson into the starting five.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, first in the Eastern Conference, need to make a major change when the playoffs roll around. It revolves around the Cavs starting five and the shake-up will be a panacea to the broken defense that has plagued the team since Lue took over as head coach.

Two of the Cavaliers better defenders, Shumpert and Thompson, need to be starting ballgames at the expense of J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov. Smith, while he is experiencing one of his best seasons, is better suited coming off the pine and Mozgov has simply been a shell of himself all season long.

What Shumpert and Thompson will provide the Cavs is something either Smith or Mozgov can not- defensive versatility and an identity on that end of the floor.

Now, let’s be fair to Smith here. The much-maligned guard has played defense with an effort and intensity that hasn’t been seen throughout his 11-year career. Smith’s hustle and boisterous defensive game has been a welcome sign for the Cavs, especially when some of his teammates defensive efforts have been lacking.

However, while the intangibles are in Smith’s favor, the numbers are not. When Smith is on the court, Cleveland is giving up 104.0 points per 100 possessions. For context, that number would place them 14^th in the league. When Smith goes to the bench, that numbers dips to 98.6 points per 100 possessions, which would be the second best mark in the NBA.

Defense is an effort thing a lot of the time. It’s tough and can be sometimes unfair to judge a defender on solely numbers but in Smith’s case, it’s too much of a difference to ignore. For all of his improved focus on defense, Smith is still prone to commit a silly foul at a crucial moment.

Conversely, Shumpert has saved Cavalier wins with his defense at crucial moments.

From his late game strip of Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas and his harassing defense on Jeff Teague in Atlanta, Shumpert is Cleveland’s go-to defender late in games. He should be the go-to defender at the very beginning of games also.

“He just takes the challenge,” Lue said of Shumpert, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “When you’re a defensive player, you want to take those one-on-one challenges. You want to guard the best player every single night and that’s what he does. He thrives for that.”

“Always just try to keep guys uncomfortable,” Shumpert said, via Fedor. “Always watch a ton of film on guys so I know their tendencies and know where they’re trying to get on the court.”

Shumpert, while he hasn’t been at his best this season, is a better defender than Smith. His quick hands, anticipation and footwork all are superior to Smith’s. The effort and hustle of Shumpert is adequate enough as well.

The Cavaliers are also a better defensive unit with Shumpert on the court, as they give up 100.2 points per 100 possessions- third in the NBA. When Shumpert sits, the Cavs allow 102.7 points per 100 possessions, which would be the 10^th best mark in the league. Shumpert’s defense also helps mask the poor defense that Kyrie Irving provides on a nightly basis.

Shumpert’s individual defense, numbers wise, is also marginally better than Smith’s. When being guarded by Shumpert, opponents are shooting 0.7 percent below their regular season average. On the other hand, the opponents shoot 0.1 percent above their average when Smith is the primary defender.

The argument made against Shumpert is his shortcomings on the offensive end. He is averaging 5.8 points per game this season, shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from beyond the three-point line. With Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love starting though, Shumpert doesn’t need to score. He needs to come in and do what he does best- defend, defend, defend.

For Smith, it is known that he needs to play with James to be effective. This can still be achieved, even if he is coming off the bench. It will be up to Lue to mix and match line-ups and ensure Smith gets majority of his minutes with James.

In Thompson’s case, he has started for the Cavs on multiple occasions this season. In fact, Thompson has started 31 of his 76 games played this year. Lue has stated he no longer starts Thompson because he wears down quickly playing against bigger bodies. Fair enough, but no need to worry. In the playoffs, rest is prolonged and back to backs don’t exist.

Thompson is the Cavaliers most versatile big on the defensive end of the floor. He is quick enough to switch the pick and roll and stay in front of guards. His defensive IQ allows him to ICE pick and rolls effectively. He can show hard on the guard and get back on his man fast enough, cutting off passing lanes in the process. He has also done a solid job at defending in the post this season. His rebounding is sensational.

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Mozgov currently provides the Cavs none of those qualities. While his improved since the turn of the All-Star break, Mozgov’s slow feet and large frame is a determent to the Cavaliers defense. He also doesn’t help Cleveland’s offense; while Thompson’s offensive rebounding is too valuable to put into words.

With Thompson on the court, the Cavs have a NET rating of plus 7.7, compared to just plus 3.2 when he isn’t on the court. Thomson also can cover the defensive deficiencies of Love, similar to the way Shumpert covers Irving.

These two changes would give the Cavs a starting line-up of Irving, Shumpert, James, Love and Thompson, the perfect mix of offense (Irving, James, Love), rebounding (Love, Thompson, James) and defense (Shumpert, Thompson, James). This five-man unit has played just 43 minutes together but in that time, the Cavs have an offensive rating of 108.7 and defensive rating of 78.4, both ridiculously good numbers.

Heading into the playoffs, that 43-minute total needs to extend and it should be from the opening tip of game one in the first round.

Why Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson should start for the Cavs

By Luke Sicari | Apr 2, 2016

Coach Tyronn Lue has shuffled his starting line-up multiple times but two permanent changes he needs to make are inserting Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson into the starting five.

More from King James Gospel