Could John Holland replace Derrick Rose as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting point guard?
This isn’t meant to be an attack on any particular player but the 5-7 Cleveland Cavaliers need to try one more starting lineup. This time, with a player who isn’t currently in the rotation. I know that may sound crazy but (1) when Isaiah Thomas returns, no matter who the incumbent starting point guard is -be it Derrick Rose or Iman Shumpert or Jose Calderon – they’ll be relegated to the bench.
So, in the name of continuity and chemistry, the Cleveland Cavaliers should place their personnel in positions as similar as possible to what they’ll be when fully healthy.
Rose, Shumpert, Dwyane Wade, Kyle Korver and Jeff Green – at the least – will be in the second unit. Whether Tristan Thompson or Jae Crowder joins that bench unit remains to be seen. However, the four-man unit of Thomas, J.R. Smith, LeBron James and Kevin Love will be in the starting unit without a doubt.
(2) Interestingly enough, while there are those that believe the Cavs should play James at point guard, those that believe Rose should remain as the team’s starting point guard and a small chorus of fans singing praise of Shumpert’s play as the starting point guard, there are obvious reasons why none of them are acceptable as spot-starters.
(3) Rose got his chance as the starting point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers and while he did one thing especially well – driving to the lane – he’s neglected other aspects of being a point guard that are crucial to the success of the team.
When Kyrie Irving asked for a trade, and the Cavs traded their All-Star point guard for Thomas, there was an understanding that part of what made Irving so important to the organization was the way his basketball skillset complemented James’.
James is the powerhouse, the Akron Hammer who would bulldoze his way to the rim regardless of who tries to hold him back. He’s also, despite playing the small forward position, a pure point guard; he’s not only capable of making any pass but he excels as a passer because of his basketball IQ and court vision.
Irving, the Ankletaker, is what I would call a “saucy” scorer. He’ll devastate an opponent’s confidence with crossovers that belong on the And-1 Mixtape Tour. He has a pure shooting stroke that makes him every bit of the jump shooter James is still learning how to be. Although he’s listed as a point guard and has the ability to run the show as the team’s floor general, he’s more focused on scoring than anything else. He’s the Black Mamba in a point guard’s body.
As I mentioned in a previous piece, Rose isn’t a player who complements James. He doesn’t possess the crossover dribble that he can use to break down the defense as a secondary playmaker. He doesn’t possess the jump shooting ability that would make him a deadly volume scorer. Lastly, because he’s so focused on his scoring numbers in a contract, he’s a point guard with tunnel vision on drives rather than the inclination to be a floor general.
As a result, the Cavs look out of whack when he’s a starter.
This is a problem born in part because with Rose at point guard, starting a three-point threat like Kevin Love at center becomes more or less necessary for spacing purposes. However, starting Love at center creates a lot of problems for the Cavs interior defense.
Outside of that issue though, Rose’s style of play (outside of the pace he plays) hasn’t allowed the Cavs to perform to their optimal level. Rose doesn’t have to score 20+ points per game (he currently averages 14.3 points per game while shooting 47.0 percent from the field) but he has to provide floor balance and decision-making that helps the offense flow.
Unfortunately, Rose doesn’t have a skillset that allows the Cavs’ offense to be at their best.
No point guard on the roster truly does, with Calderon lacking the burst to be an upper echelon scorer night-in and night-out. Even Shumpert, who is more of a combo guard, doesn’t. Shumpert has improved his decision-making as a facilitator, is a solid jump shooter and one of the team’s top perimeter defenders. However, he can’t provide the volume scoring James needs besides him either.
There is a someone on the roster who does complement James and the Cavs in the way they need though. A player who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ NBA G-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, since the 2015-2016 season and is currently one of the Cavs’ two-way players.
A player whose a solid playmaker, pure scorer and dependable defender.
After averaging 17.1 points per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three-point range, a four-year player in Holland went undrafted out of Boston University in 2011. From 2011 to 2015,
Holland played for multiple European basketball teams, bringing his scorer’s mentality everywhere he went. Per 36 minutes, Holland averaged 15.0 points on 42.5 percent shooting from the field and 32.9 percent shooting from three-point range.
Finally, when he returned stateside (after receiving two opportunities to play in the NBA Summer League circuits), he got another crack at the NBA by latching on with the G-League’s Canton Charge (Holland was signed and released by the San Antonio Spurs in 2014). With the Canton Charge, Holland has averaged 19.3 points, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point range (including this season). He won the G-League’s Impact Player of the Year award last season after averaging 22.9 points, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 34,6 percent from three-point range.
Much like many players, at 6-foot-5 but listed as a small forward, Holland was a player without a true position. Regardless of if he could put the ball in the hoop or not, before the rise of positionless basketball, lacking a true position was a hindrance for many prospects. In 2017 though, Holland’s lack of a true position means less. Especially because on the Cavs, he’d be sharing the court with James, Rose, Wade or Green at all times, all players who have operated as a point guard or point-forward within the offense.
While making the right play, plays that resulted in his teammates being his inside the arc or behind the line for easy points, Holland is a player with the confidence and ability to get his own shots. For those that watched the Spurs last season, Holland is a lot like Jonathan Simmons in the way he can impact the game.
He can operate off-ball as a spot-up shooter unlike Rose, will attack the rim in transition or the halfcourt (and often get above the rim) and he can pull-up for jump shots and will look naturally while doing it. Though he won’t be putting up 20+ points per game, he probably can average 15+ points per game of all-around scoring ability.
It’s worth a try this early in the season at least.
What else are two-way players for if not for experimenting and filling-in in the event of an injury?
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*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com