Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 early season targets to keep an eye on

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PHOENIX, AZ – NOVEMBER 13: Greg Monroe #14 of the Phoenix Suns warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 13, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Target #3: Greg Monroe — the Phoenix Suns big man

Greg Monroe was recently traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Phoenix Suns. While not a phenomenal athlete or player in general, Monroe could still offer the Cleveland Cavaliers quite a bit.

From his sophomore season to his seventh year in the league, Monroe averaged over 15 points per game. Four of those seasons came with the Detroit Pistons where he excelled; then, when he joined the Milwaukee Bucks, Monroe’s role slowly grew nonexistent in Milwaukee.

As a Sun, Monroe will likely see the same role. On such a young team, Monroe will likely get little minutes. Phoenix, while they haven’t explored trade options for Monroe yet, should explore ways to get him out of Phoenix soon. Cleveland would enjoy the low-post scoring of Monroe. Throughout the past two seasons, the majority of Monroe’s shots have come within three feet of the basket. On those shots, he has hit over 59% of them. That ability is something Tristan Thompson lacks. While his percentages may be high as well, Thompson is not the versatile scorer Monroe can be.

Cleveland would enjoy the low-post scoring of Monroe. Throughout the past two seasons, the majority of Monroe’s shots have come within three feet of the basket. On those shots, he has hit over 59% of them. That ability is something Tristan Thompson lacks. While his percentages may be high as well, Thompson is not the versatile scorer Monroe can be.

Defensively, it can’t get much worse for Cleveland, so they might as well see if Monroe can improve their second unit scoring. Monroe is cheap, and he would make a significant impact on the second unit.