The Cleveland Cavaliers bench play has been crucial this season
Once one of the worst benches in the league, the new-and-improved Cleveland Cavaliers bench is now amongst the best in the league.
The (5-7) Cleveland Cavaliers have now dropped two of their last three games and currently rank 11th in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers have the worst defensive rating in the NBA, continuous chemistry problems, consistent lack of effort, and they’re flat-out not playing great basketball. In the midst of all of these complications, there is one positive the Cavs can take away from their struggles- the crucial bench play.
The Cavaliers’ biggest problem last year was the atrocious play off the bench. Last season the Cavaliers bench ranked in the bottom third in every major statistical category. This includes 28th in points, last in rebounds, assists, and steals, and 29th in blocks.
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Throughout the offseason, it was imperative that the Cavaliers add talent to their bench. Management took that into consideration and made some exceptional additions. Some of the signings made include Derrick Rose, Jeff Green, and Dwyane Wade. Wade and Green have been very valuable off the bench for the Cavaliers so far this season. In addition, Kyle Korver is playing some of his best basketball as a Cavalier right now.
Thus far, the bench play from the Cavaliers has been very effective. Cleveland’s bench ranks 8th in points scoring 39.4 points per game, an 11.1 point improvement compared to last year. While the rebounds (24th) and assists (23rd) numbers aren’t great, they have improved from last year and should continue to improve. The bench of the Cavaliers is shooting 48.1% from the field as a whole, ranking 4th in the league.
The Cavs “Big Three” off the bench; Wade, Green, and Kover, have accounted for 29.9 of the Cavs 39.4 bench points. To add on, the return of Isaiah Thomas will help the bench as well. How you may ask? Derrick Rose will be moved to the second unit, thus adding a proven slasher and scorer to the talented mix.
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As the season goes along and chemistry improves, expect Cleveland’s bench to become more and more beneficial to the team.
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