Should the Cavs sign Jordan Mickey?
Should the Cleveland Cavaliers sign recently released big man Jordan Mickey?
On Thursday, the Boston Celtics released a player with the potential to be an imposing shot-blocker in third-year pro Jordan Mickey.
Mickey, who stands at 6-foot-8, has a 7-foot-3 wingspan and weighs 238 pounds, has a physical profile like that of Brandon Bass when he entered the league. Because his wingspan and girth compensate for his lack of height, Mickey, like Bass, has been able to play both the power forward and center positions in his two years in the NBA.
In addition, in the 2015 NBA Draft Combine, Mickey had a 37.5-inch max vertical (highest among power forwards) and a 33.0-inch no-step vertical (2nd-highest among power forwards). Like Bass, a player who loved to throw down dunks in his athletic prime, Mickey is one of the more physically gifted big men to have come in the league over the past three seasons.
These factors, combined with his ability to defend out on the perimeter and his production from college and his time with the Maine Red Claws in NBA G-League, make Mickey an interesting frontcourt prospect for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Must Read: What does Cedi Osman's deal mean for Cavs?
When looking at Mickey’s contributions over the last two years, he hasn’t played too much in the NBA. He’s played a total of 198 minutes for the Boston Celtics in 41 games (including one start). He’s also played four playoff games for a total of 28 minutes.
In that time, Mickey wasn’t particularly efficient from the floor, especially for a post player; he made 41.1 percent of his field goals in the regular season and 44.4 percent of his shots in the playoffs.
However, looking at his regular season totals (23-of-56 on field goal attempts) will show you that if he would have had just five more shots rattle in, he would have been shooting 50.0 percent from the floor. In the playoffs, Mickey went 4-of-9 from the field.
In addition, Mickey can knock down jump shots out to three-point range and take players off-the-dribble from a face-up position, isn’t a player who gets all of his points around the rim. With that in mind, his shooting percentage becomes a bit more respectable.
In two seasons on assignment with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G-League, Mickey made 52.5 percent of his field goal attempts and 40.4 percent of his three-point attempts on the way to averaging 18.6 points per game.
In his rookie season, Mickey was named as a NBA G-League All-Star.
Mickey recorded 17 blocks in 41 regular games with the Celtics, or 0.4 blocks. In the postseason, he had two blocks after four games, or 0.5 blocks per game That’s not a great per game average, especially considering how he swatted away 3.3 blocks per game in two seasons with LSU. However, in the NBA G-League, Mickey averaged 3.8 blocks per game.
When given the opportunity, Mickey shows the ability to be a three-ponged interior defender: he can block shots from a standstill position standing sentinel in the paint; he can be a weakside shot-blocker; and he’s a solid post defender who uses his body well to knock his opponents trajectory off-kilter.
What’s interesting is that in the NBA Summer League, where Mickey played five games with the Celtics on the Las Vegas circuit last season, Mickey’s offense had started to make the turn. He made 56.2 percent of his field goal attempts and 33.3 percent of his three-point attempts. His marksmanship from deep wasn’t ideal but it’s pretty respectable for a guy who shot 14 total threes in college. His jump to 40.0 percent from three-point range that season with the G-League is a testament to his work ethic.
With his shot-blocking instincts accentuated by an outstanding physical profile and mobility, Mickey looks the part of a New Age center who can hold his own on the perimeter (on both ends) but play strong interior defense as well.
So why did the Boston Celtics release him, especially after signing him to a four-year contract right after the draft?
In part, it’s because they needed to clear salary space to sign Gordon Hayward. In part it’s because Mickey, the 33rd overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, lacked a feel for the game at the offensive end when coming out of college; he’s needed to learn how to see the court properly and make the game easier for himself and his teammates. However, for young players trying to prove that they’re capable of being a scorer on the offensive end and earn playing time, getting tunnel vision is often a problem.
For their part, the Cleveland Cavaliers need a mobile big man for depth behind Thompson. Currently, Channing Frye and Edy Tavares would be their only depth at the center position and both are too lead-footed to keep up with players on the perimeter.
If signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, they’d need to make it clear to Mickey that he doesn’t have to prove to them that he belongs. He just needs to prove why they should keep him. Playing with LeBron James, a big part of him staying on the team will be him making the right play. After all, that’s what James is all about.
The other part will come on the defensive end, where Mickey may be able to bring mobility and shot-blocking together in ways that even Thompson can’t.
Related Story: Top five Cavs in franchise history not named LeBron James
*All stats referenced from basketball.realgm.com