When J.R. Smith returns to the starting lineup, DeAndre Liggins should move ahead of Iman Shumpert in the rotation.
The Cleveland Cavaliers play Iman Shumpert too early and too often but after an injury to J.R. Smith and with an inexplicable benching of DeAndre Liggins, Shumpert is the starting shooting guard. Nonetheless, when Smith returns this month, Liggins should move ahead of humpert in the starting lineup.
Shumpert was inserted into the starting lineup because he was supposed to be a bigger three-point threat. Yet, he shot 28.2 percent from three-point range in February and he’s only made 27.3 percent of his three-point attempts this month.
Shumpert did make 50.9 percent of his three-point attempts in 9 starts he had in January (the Cavs only went 4-5 in that time) which boosts his three-point percentage since he’s been a starter to shot 39.2 percent.
Compared to Liggins, who made 36.8 percent of his three-point attempts as a starter, he’s the better shooter. Right? Especially considering that Shumpert takes 4.9 three-point attempts per game as a starter and Liggins took 2.0 three-point attempts per game.
It’s worth noting that Liggins has been the more consistent three-point shooter and though he had one subpar month of three-point shooting percentage-wise, with a three-point field goal percentage of 29.4 in the month of January, the lack of three-point volume provides context to that percentage. In January, Liggins went 5-17 from three-point range in 15 games. Suppose he makes two more treys in that time, his three-point shooting percentage for the month of January is now 41.2.
Give Shumpert two extra threes in the month of February, when he shot 28.2 percent (11-39) from three-point range, that number merely bumps up to 33.3 percent. Better, but still subpar.
Shumpert holds a three-point percentage of 34.8 for his NBA career while Liggins’ is slightly higher at 38.0 percent. Liggins’ three-point percentage in his NBA D-League career is 38.0.
While Shumpert may be a more willing shooter than Liggins, it’s not clear that he’s actually a better shooter. In any case, when Smith returns, he and Korver will get the bulk of the three-point attempts from the shooting guard position. Subsequently, Shumpert’s willingness to shoot a high volume of threes is less important.
Furthermore, Shumpert, who is known for his ability to play aggressive, physical and suffocating defense along the perimeter, also lacks the type of offensive instincts that allow Liggins to look more polished as a floor general.
Liggins is also a better defender than Shumpert with his superior height, wingspan, strength and technique.
Shumpert wildly spins around screens or gets stuck on the pick, losing track of his man and forcing others to account for the ball-handler and their own man. Shumpert also fails to properly contest shots, leaving his hand down as opposing player shoot over the top. That rarely, if ever, happens with Liggins.
Looking at the stats, Liggins has a defensive rating of 107 compared to Shumpert’s defensive rating of 110. Shumpert has 1.2 defensive win shares compared to 0.8 defensive win shares by Liggins but Shumpert has played more games than Liggins and the team’s amount of wins with Shumpert playing and Liggins bench potentially skews those numbers towards Shumpert while the defensive rating doesn’t factor in the team’s wins.
Looking at the defensive box plus/minus (DBPM), which takes into account all of the defensive stats a player records in the box score, Liggins has a DBPM of 2.2. Shumpert has a defensive rating of 2.2.
Rebounding, which is considered part of defense as it’s a team closing out a defensive possession, is also an area where Liggins has an advantage over Shumpert. While they both average 4.9 rebounds per 36 minutes for their career, Liggins physical profile and determination to come down with a board allows him to come down with more contested rebounds when there are two or more contested rebounds than Shumpert.
More from Cavs Analysis
- The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
- This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead
- Projecting how much Cavs’ 3 two-way signings might play this season
- 4 Cavaliers looking to make a name for themselves in training camp
- Mitchell’s numbers getting trimmed a bit wouldn’t be bad thing for Cavaliers
The biggest piece of evidence that Liggins should be placed ahead of the Shumpert in the rotation is that the Cleveland Cavaliers second-most effective lineup is one that features Liggins at shooting guard beside Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson. At +32.1 per 100 possessions, this lineup is head and shoulders above the efficacy of the Cavs’ best lineup with Shumpert (+18.3). This lineup features Richard Jefferson in the place of Love.
With Liggins on the court with Frye, James Jones, Derrick Williams and Deron Williams. The lineup had an offensive rating of 107.5 and a defensive rating of 62.5 in 5 minutes.
When J.R. Smith returns, Love could replace Jones in this high IQ lineup. Ty Lue often plays Frye and Love together and Liggins is particularly effective next to Love. Though Shumpert and Liggins will both be listed third on the depth chart, there is a need for a defensive specialist on the perimeter. Liggins’ number should be called before Shumpert’s in those situations.
A lineup with Jefferson and Thompson in the place of Williams (Sr.) and Jones had an offensive rating of 136.6 and a defensive rating of 101.5 in 4 minutes.
A lineup with Irving and James in the place of Williams and Frye has an offensive rating of 126.6 and defensive rating of 98.7 in 22 minutes.
These lineups, and the starting lineup, where the Cavs can dominate with Liggins.
Last night, the Cavs held the Miami Heat to 19 points in the final period with Liggins staying in every minute. The Heat had scored 30 or more points in every other quarter.
Considering the defense Liggins played on Stephen Curry on Christmas Day, it would be in the Cavs best interest to keep Liggins in-rhythm, upbeat and to help him maximize his ability as, at 28-years-old, Liggins is in the prime years of his basketball career.
Related Story: Larry Sanders Pays Homage To Andrew Bogut
Do you think think that the Cleveland Cavaliers should move DeAndre Liggins ahead of Iman Shumpert in the starting lineup? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter@KJG_NBA.