King James Gospel
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Cavs Top 6 Free Agent Forward Targets

By Quenton S. Albertie

Feb 25, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Derrick Williams (3) slam dunks as Chicago Bulls forward Cristiano Felicio (6) defends during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Derrick Williams (3) slam dunks as Chicago Bulls forward Cristiano Felicio (6) defends during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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G/F Nick Young

2016-17 stats (60 games):

13.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.6 steals per game

43.0 FG%, 40.4 3PT%, 85.6 FT%

What he can bring to the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Elite shooting, ball-handling, swagger

Nick Young is a swingman, he can play both the shooting guard or small forward positions and if you’re a Cleveland fan you may have a few unpleasant memories regarding Young in his matchups with LeBron James.

I remember on one occasion, watching Young size-up James with a crossover dribble and launch a three with James in his face. It hit nothing but net.

Young has always been a particularly confident shooter and in one interview he infamously said he has no tattoos on his right arm because that arm is “strictly for buckets”. That’s ironic because before this season I would have said that any team that signed or traded for Young did it “strictly for buckets”.

Young, for the better part of his career, earned a reputation as a three-point specialist but he wasn’t focused on defense and constantly focused on the one-on-one battles. He didn’t play “winning basketball”.

This year, coached by Luke Walton, Young experienced a defensive revival. It’s not that he made more impact plays on the defensive end but that he showed consistent effort and focus defensively.

It’s akin to the transformation J.R. Smith made when he arrived in the Land.

Besides the elite shooting and the defensive impact that Young, who is a mobile 6-foot-7, 210 pound player with a 7-foot wingpan, can provide, Walton also had Young handle the ball for the Lakers quite a bit this season. Young’s ball-handling ability allows him to get to the rim consistently, where he was able to finish 67.3 percent of his attempts.

At 31-years-old, he has a few seasons left to play a significant role. Imagine a lineup with Smith, Korver and Young that has LeBron James at quarterback and Kevin Love or Channing Frye at center.

Right.