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Can Casey Prather make the Cavs’ regular season roster?

By Quenton S. Albertie

WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 01: Casey Prather of the Wildcats reacts during game two of the NBL Grand Final series between the Perth Wildcats and the Illawarra Hawks at WIN Entertainment Centre on March 1, 2017 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 01: Casey Prather of the Wildcats reacts during game two of the NBL Grand Final series between the Perth Wildcats and the Illawarra Hawks at WIN Entertainment Centre on March 1, 2017 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) /
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Casey Prather is a young wing with two-way ability. The Cleveland Cavaliers would be wise to keep him around for the season.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers in need of athletic defenders, Casey Prather has emerged as a viable end-of-the-bench option.

Throughout the Las Vegas Summer League circuit, Prather has been a stud on the perimeter whose able to use his defensive instincts to make plays both on and off-ball. He’ll jump the passing lanes for steals, block a jumpshot or block a layup attempt as a help defender. Prather will smother opponents in space and while players may occasionally turn the corner on him, those instances are few and far between.

What’s been nearly as impressive as his defense, perhaps, has been his consistency as a scorer.

His confidence as a scorer.

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A factor that differentiates him from a player whose defense throughout the summer landed him on the Cleveland Cavaliers regular season roster last year in DeAndre Liggins.

Against the Houston Rockets, he made a tough pull-up three right after making the catch-and-shoot three the last time down.

However, that shouldn’t be unexpected, he’s been able to make threes at a reasonable rate throughout two Summer League circuits. In five games with the Dallas Mavericks in the Orlando Summer League circuit, Prather shot 40.0 percent from three. In two games with the Cavs, Prather has made 50.0 percent of his shots from three-point range.

While Prather has enough of a handle on the ball and athleticism to attack the rim in transition or halfcourt, he’s more dangerous in a fullcourt setting. In the open court, he could fill lanes as a finisher at the rim. Or, as a trailer, attack closeouts and get to the rim because of the separation he gets with upper-end athletic ability.

In the halfcourt, he wouldn’t be a player that would be expected to attack the rim consistently. Yet, if he has attack closeout, he makes the right plays on offense. He doesn’t force the issue, similar to teammate T.J. Williams, but he still can put pressure on the defense with well-timed drives.

If Prather manages to parlay this performance into a training camp deal and be a two-way player through the NBA preseason, there’s a fair chance he could stick on the regular season roster. The Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to trade Iman Shumpert, who is currently their only young athlete with two-way potential. Prather is a year younger than Shumpert and could be as effective while being an option that costs $9 million less than the Cavs.

As of today, the Cleveland Cavaliers have two open roster spots. Though one of those spots may be reserved for a scorer like Carmelo Anthony, should he get bought out from his current contract with the New York Knicks, the other spot should be reserved for a young wing.

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