Cavs-Raps: The Backup Point Guard Matchup Is Crucial

The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to need their bench depth in their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Toronto Raptors, and Deron Williams needs to be effective in leading the second unit.

In the Cleveland Cavaliers first round series with the Indiana Pacers, there was some unusual struggles from Kyrie Irving.

He wasn’t terrible, as he had 25.3 points per game against Indy. That said, he was nowhere close to playing his best. Irving only shot 41.9 percent from the field, and 21.9 percent from three-point . He also had a player efficiency rating of only 17.4  (15 is “average”) and an offensive box plus/minus of -3.4

On the other hand, D-Will was HOT, HOT, HOT!

Williams couldn’t have been better against the Pacers. He was able to score in a variety of ways and averaged 8.3 points in 15.5 minutes per game, while shooting an absurd 76.9 percent from the field. That was while having an effective field goal rate of 103.8 percent, which included a 102.6 percent true shooting rate in that sweep.

If they can get anywhere near that in this series, it will bode well for the confidence and efficacy of the Cavs’ bench.

Watching Williams get in a groove might light a fire under Irving and get his shot-making and playmaking going too.

Against the Indiana Pacers, pick-and-roll threes from Williams were a huge lift. The threat of his three-point shot made it easy for him to get to the charity stripe as players couldn’t simply play off of him and go under every screen.

Of course, he’s always capable of taking the ball to the rim, too. If Williams can put the pressure on Raptors backup point man Cory Joseph by shooting effectively, it’ll generate more space for the Cavs’ sharpshooters as defenders gravitate towards Williams and the paint..

Kyle Korver and Channing Frye should get some open looks from three out of small-ball lineups with LeBron at the 4, especially out of screen-and-rolls. If D-Will establishes himself as a legitimate scoring threat early on in this series, it won’t enable Joseph and Kyle Lowry to sag off him.

That should help Korver, Frye, and J.R. Smith get more open looks from Bron drive-and-kicks as a result.

This series features two teams with deep benches, especially at the guard positions.

D-Will doesn’t need to do too much but if he can be a steady floor general and score a bit, that would lessen Kyrie’s workload in a star-studded matchup with a 3-time All-Star in Lowry.

I figure that the matchup between those two point guards is likely a push; Kyrie will get his highlight plays at times and Lowry will make plays for himself and get the Toronto supporting cast involved.

Nonetheless, the backup point guard matchup is a little more uncertain. In what should be highly-contested games, that is going to be a crucial part of the box score. Williams is totally offensive-minded, whereas Joseph is more balanced. He was more defensive-minded as a member of the San Antonio Spurs and has scoring outbursts on occasion but he’s become a more consistent offensive threat since signing with his hometown Raptors last season.

Although Joseph struggled against the length of the Milwaukee Bucks last round (shooting 35.5 percent from the field), he could give the Cavs some trouble if Williams is guarding him. D-Will doesn’t have the quickness he once had given all his injuries, so I’m not sure how much he’ll be guarding Joseph, who can create opportunities for himself and others for Toronto’s second unit.

That will be up to the matchups as the series plays out for Tyronn Lue.

Moreover, if the Cavs can get even close to the production they had from Williams as they did in round one (19.1 net rating), they’ll be in great shape.

After all, I don’t expect Kyrie to be as inefficient as he was in the opening round.

He’s typically at his best when the lights are brightest and after a week of rest and recovery, he should be ready to roll.

If things aren’t going for him, the Cavs will be just fine with Williams and Bron running the show, though.

Related Story: Lowry-Irving Will Be A Crucial Battle

Who do you think will win the battle of the (backup) point guards? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.