DeAndre Liggins is starting to get more playing time for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has the ability to play a similar role to what Matthew Dellavedova did for the team.
DeAndre Liggins has not been able to find a home in the NBA since being drafted with the 53rd pick in the 2011 NBA draft. The 28-year-old guard has played for four teams since 2011, and has spent time in the NBA Developmental League (D-League).
During his first three years in the league, Liggins played for the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Miami Heat. Between the three teams, the Kentucky product appeared in 57 games (one start) with averages of 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.
After bouncing around in the NBA, Liggins spent some time in the D-League to further his development. He appeared in 95 games while in the D-League, and averaged 13.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. He was named the D-League Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2016.
Following his impressive stint in the D-League, Liggins inked a multi-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he has been able to showcase his defensive prowess.
According to Joe Vardon of cleveland.com, four-time MVP LeBron James compared Liggins to former Cavalier Matthew Dellavedova.
"“We lost that in Delly and rightfully so for the first part of the season, first few weeks we was missing that. Liggs gives us that. He gives us that pit bull out on the floor that’s like, ‘I’m here to just work. I’m going to make you work every single possession. I know you don’t know my name yet, I know you don’t know my game yet or what I’m about, but I’m going to make you work.’"
While in Cleveland, Dellavedova worked his way up from an undrafted free-agent to the team’s primary backup point guard. As cliche as it sounds, Delly never took a play off; no matter the circumstances, he gave it has all and played every play like it was his last.
Delly’s hustle on defense is what initially got him playing time for the Cavaliers. From there, he was able to extend his three-point range, and eventually became a valuable 3-and-D player for the Cavs.
Liggins has found himself in a very similar situation with the Cavaliers this season.
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After J.R. Smith went down with a thumb injury, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue inserted Liggins into the starting lineup. Liggins has started eight games for the Cavaliers this, and has already shown what he is capable of.
On Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors, Liggins was called upon to guard two-time MVP Stephen Curry. He managed to hold Curry to just 15 points on 36.4 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc.
The way Liggins picked up Curry from the moment the ball was inbounded was very similar to Dellavedova. Most notably, Dellavedova was inserted into the starting lineup during the 2015 NBA finals after Kyrie Irving went down with injury. Delly had moderate success guarding Curry during the series, holding him to 19 points on 21.7 percent from the field and 13.3 percent from deep during game two.
Both Liggins and Dellavedova put immense pressure on the ball, forcing the ball-handler to make mistakes.
One difference between Dellavedova and Liggins, however, is their ability to shoot the three-pointer. Delly netted a career-high 41 percent of his three-pointers during his final season in wine and gold. Liggins, on the other hand, has attempted just 20 three-pointers this season, making 12 of them.
Although he is converting on 53 percent of his long-range shots this season, Liggins doesn’t put them up in the same volume that Dellavedova was able to.
Three-point shooting aside, DeAndre Liggins has the ability to play a similar role to what Matthew Dellavedova did during his three seasons with the Cavaliers.
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What do you think? Will DeAndre Liggins play a similar role to what Matthew Dellavedova did with the Cleveland Cavaliers? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @KJG_NBA.