The Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in signing forward-center Eric Moreland after signing forward-center Cory Jefferson to a training camp deal.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are worried about their ability to protect the rim and good rim protectors are hard to find. Right now, the Cavaliers are looking at two unheralded players as they try to find their defensive anchor in the frontcourt.
The Cavs reportedly have interest in signing Eric Moreland, a forward-center who has played for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and NBA Development League’s (D-League) Reno Big Horns over the past two seasons.
This news comes on the heels of a report that the Cavaliers signed forward-center Cory Jefferson to a training camp deal. This comes after he played on the Cavs Summer League team in Las Vegas.
Source: Cory Jefferson agreed to deal with Cavaliers. Hearing Eric Moreland is also a training camp target.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) August 31, 2016
One part of the news that stands out is that Jefferson and Moreland both play the same position and are likely fighting for the same roster spot. However, Jefferson and Moreland aren’t the same type of player. If they have any similarities, it’s that they’re both as great at protecting the rim as they are both as relatively unheard of as they are glass-crashing rim-protectors.
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Jefferson is a 25-year-old big man who mainly spent time in the NBA D-League the last two years. Jefferson, a product of Baylor University, averaged 8.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 19.9 minutes per game in his four-year college career. As a senior, Jefferson averaged 13.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 29.0 minutes per game.
While playing for the Maine Red Claws and Bakersfield Jam, Jefferson averaged 16.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game and was called up to the NBA twice. While playing in 58 NBA games between the Brooklyn Nets in 2014-15 and the Phoenix Suns in 2015-16, Jefferson averaged 12.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.4 block per game per 36 minutes, averages similar to his D-League production.
Jefferson is undersized as a center and skinny for a frontcourt player, but a quick and explosive leaper with a 7-foot wingspan. These are traits that allow him to be impressive on the glass and a straight-up rim-protector.
Jefferson has shown fine defensive awareness and weakside shot-blocking at times, but he’s not in position or instinctual enough to be consistently relied on as a help defender. Nonetheless, as a center that’s only asked to stand in front of the rim and deter lane-penetration, Jefferson has defensive value.
Jefferson could learn a lot from Chris “Birdman” Andersen, a player with a similar physical profile but has nearly mastered the art of help defense. If he develops that part of his game, Jefferson could be a productive rotation player for any team for years to come.
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Moreland, a 24-year-old center and product of Oregon State University, averaged 7.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 1.3 assists and 0.8 steals in 25.0 minutes per game. As a senior for the Beavers, Moreland averaged 8.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.4 assists and 0.7 steals in 29.4 minutes per game.
While playing for the D-League’s Reno Big Horns, Moreland averaged 12.0 blocks, 13.3 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 28.0 minutes per game.
Moreland is a lanky 6-foot-10 player with an impressive 7-foot-3 wingspan. He’s an active defender and rebounder. Moreland only appeared in 11 contests for the Sacramento Kings while buried behind DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein, Kosta Koufos and Quincy Acy. That season the Kings were coached by George Karl, a coach notoriously known to keep young and inexperienced players on the bench.
Moreland is an exciting young power forward. He’s a two-way player with the potential to be dominant on both sides of the ball. Already, Moreland is showing the ability to be a skilled low-post scorer. He is able to use a series of pivots and counters as well as beat his defender off the dribble. He often gets deep into the paint.
Moreland has nice touch on a spinning hook shot that with his 7-foot-3 wingspan isn’t a shot he’ll miss often. Over the past two seasons, Moreland has made 5.3 out of 9.1 shots per game, good for a 57.8 shooting percentage.
The shots he misses most are the contested lay-ups he takes on the drive, but in these instances he often grabs his own rebound, averaging 4.5 offensive rebounds per game over the past two seasons. His vision, passing ability and willingness to pass are above average for a player at his position. He often finds teammates in scoring position with quick, precise, and intuitive passes.
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Defensively, Moreland is active whether the scheme calls for a trap defense, a breakdown in defense calls for him to covering the ball-handler above the three-point line, he’s in man-to-man, or he’s providing weakside help defense.
His length and activity fluster opponents and causes them to make mistakes, but it also allows him to come up with spectacular blocks and timely steals. Moreland doesn’t play the game with reckless abandon and in the NBA his defensive instincts will shine for the Cavs if given playing time.
The Cleveland Cavaliers should at least sign Eric Moreland to a training camp deal. He and Cory Jefferson both can make the team if veteran guard Mo Williams retires. Even if Williams doesn’t retire and the team re-signs shooting guard J.R. Smith, the two forward-centers and shooting guard DeAndre Liggins will have a fair battle for the last spot on the Cavs regular season roster.
Jefferson and Moreland aren’t the same type of player but for the Cleveland Cavaliers they’d solve the same problem, protecting the rim. These two could just be the start of a long search to find an athletic rim protector. With the way the search has started, the Cleveland Cavaliers seem to be searching all the unexpected places.
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Do Cory Jefferson or Eric Moreland have a shot at making the Cavs opening roster? Let us know in the comments section or follow and tweet us @KJG_NBA.