Cleveland Cavaliers: Starting Jae Crowder opens up unlimited opportunities
The Cleveland Cavaliers have decided to go with Kevin Love instead of Tristan Thompson at center which opens up a starting spot for Jae Crowder.
Just a few weeks ago, Jae Crowder was a Celtic. Now, following the Kyrie Irving trade, the former Marquette standout will have his chance to start on the world-renown Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Kevin Love will be starting at center instead of Tristan Thompson, who has anchored that position for the last six seasons. With Love at center, the new Cavalier Jae Crowder is expected to start at power forward with James, Rose, and Smith rounding out the starting lineup. Another interesting tidbit is that we are also under the assumption that Smith will start instead of the former superstar and scoring champion Dwyane Wade.
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A starting lineup of Rose-JR-James-Crowder-Love would provide King James with maximum spacing until Isaiah Thomas’ returns. Crowder, who made 2.2 threes per game last season on just under 40% from downtown, will be a crucial target this season for LeBron. James averaged a career-high 8.7 assists per game last season and has thrived with an array of shooters surrounding him.
Throughout his time in the NBA, Crowder has received time at the power forward, so the switch from his normal small forward position shouldn’t be too drastic. Last season, the Celtics were an incredible +11.4 with Crowder on the court than with him off. His value can be understated. He defends, hustles and can shoot with incredible accuracy. This lineup seems like a match made in heaven for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Rebounding is the only concern. When in Boston, Crowder snagged only 9.9% of the total rebounds. In nine of James’ fourteen NBA seasons (11 of those playing mainly as a small forward and one as a shooting guard), he would normally snag over 11% of the total boards. With the Cleveland Cavaliers already being a mediocre rebounding team last season, it will be crucial for Crowder and Love to be able to anchor the defense boards and get the break started. Love has already proved to be an excellent rebounder, so hopefully, they can work together to have an outstanding rebounding lineup.
Overall defense should also improve with the increased on-court athleticism. The switching on pick-and-rolls should be made much easier with a Crowder-Love frontcourt combo.
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All in all, this lineup could be the most efficient lineup the Cavaliers could put together. With little weakness, starting Crowder at the four might open up an array of new possibilities for this Cavs team.