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Jordan McRae Has A Future With the Cavaliers

By Jared Kungle

Apr 13, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan McRae (12) reacts after missing two of three free throws late in a 112-110 overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan McRae (12) reacts after missing two of three free throws late in a 112-110 overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Matthew Dellavedova signing with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jordan McRae has an opportunity to become a rotational player for the Cavaliers.

Since being drafted in 2014, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan McRae hasn’t been able to find a home in the NBA. The 25-year-old spent a good deal of the 2015-16 campaign in the Developmental League (D-League) with the Delaware 87ers before being called up by the Cavaliers.

During his days in the D-League, McRae established himself as one of the better scorers the league had to offer. In 29 games with the 87ers, McRae averaged 23.3 points, 5.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game with a shooting line of .459/.318/.799. He even managed to craft the single greatest scoring night in D-League history after scoring 61 points in a 130-123 loss to the Canton Charge.

After posting impressive numbers in Delaware, McRae signed a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers, per Cleveland.com‘s Chris Haynes, which eventually landed him a multi-year deal for the league minimum, accoding to ESPN‘s Dave McMenamin.

Playing behind the likes of Kyrie Irving and Matthew Dellavedova, McRae didn’t get much court time–7.5 minutes per game in 15 games–but did manage to impress during his limited minutes. In the Cavaliers final game of the season against the Detroit Pistons, a game in which the starters rested for the playoffs, McRae erupted for 37 points and 7 assists in a losing effort.

Now that his first season with the Cavaliers is in the books, McRae is currently in the midst of a very important offseason. With the Cavaliers agreeing to a sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that sent Dellavedova to Milwaukee, McRae now has an opportunity to become a rotational player for the Cavaliers.

Related Story: Cavs Won't Match Matthew Dellavedova's Offer Sheet

Dellavedova manned the Cavaliers bench unit for the better part of the last three seasons, and now that role is up for grabs. As of right now it is a three-way race between McRae, rookie Kay Felder and veteran Mo Williams.

McRae may have the upper hand over Felder, as the former is an NBA champion while the latter has yet to play a single minute during the regular season. As for Williams, he has fallen victim to the injury bug, so putting full reliance in the 33-year-old may not be in the Cavaliers best interest.

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Through two games in the Las Vegas Summer League, McRae has continued to prove that he is a prolific scorer, averaging 25.0 points per game. He did struggle to finish at the rim against the Brooklyn Nets, air-balling a dunk off of a lob to close the third quarter. Moving forward, McRae will need to get comfortable finishing in the lane, especially against bigger and faster NBA defenders.

If McRae is serious about stepping in as the Cavaliers full-time backup point guard, he will have to hit the three-pointer on a more consistent basis. Although he has already proven himself as a legitimate scorer, he shot just 31.8 percent from beyond the arc while in the D-League.

The Cavaliers are a team who like to put up threes at a high rate, ranking third in the association in three-point attempts per game last season with 29.6 per contest, so a backup guard who can hit from deep will be needed to optimize the team’s offense.

Shooting struggles aside, McRae has a real shot at being a key piece to the Cavaliers moving forward. With all the money being thrown around in free agency, the Cavaliers have a steal in McRae, who is under contract for two more seasons for the league minimum.  Having a bench contributor for such a low price could prove to be a luxury for the Cavaliers.

McRae is a phenomenal scorer, who is playing on a very cheap contract. It seems as if the guard has a future with the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

Next: 5 Summer League Players With A Shot At The NBA

With Dellavedova out of town, Jordan McRae now has a serious opportunity to run the Cavaliers second unit. As a proven scorer, he will need to continue to work on his three-point shot, but there is no denying there is talent ready to be proven.