What can John Holland bring to the Cavs after being called-up?

What can John Holland provide to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the midst of injuries?

Before the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Detroit Pistons on Monday, they’re expected to call-up John Holland from their NBA G-League affiliate, the Canton Charge.

Holland, the Cavs’ first two-way signing in the offseason, is a 6-foot-5 playmaker who is averaging 25.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals in 39.5 minutes per game (5 games). He’s shooting 48.3 percent from the field (17.8 field goal attempts per game), 42.5 percent from three-point range (8.0 attempts per game) and 86.7 percent from the charity stripe (6.0 attempts per game).

Just looking at his numbers, numbers that – save for his three-point efficiency and assist averages – aren’t too far from his G-League numbers in the 2015-2016 or 2016-2017 season, the question should be “why isn’t this guy already in the big leagues?”. Ironically, the answer has a lot to do with his size.

At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, Holland is the size of a slightly undersized shooting guard but doesn’t have the ball-handling ability of a traditional point guard. As a result of Holland’s average-at-best speed and athleticism, Holland was listed as a (severely) undersized small forward. Although the league is trending towards “positionless” play, it wasn’t in 2011 – the year Holland graduated from Boston University. Another reason Holland didn’t stick early was a bout of inefficiency he had that lasted from his senior season at Boston (he shot 38.6 percent from the field despite never shooting below 43.8 percent from the field in any other season) through his first Summer League appearance (he shot 38.9 percent from the field).

The timing couldn’t have been worse but he took his talents overseas (he returned to the Summer League circuit), developed his game and returned to the NBA game in 2015. After being waived by the San Antonio Spurs, he was signed by the Charge.

In the past three seasons with the Charge, Holland has averaged 19.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from three and 86.9 percent from the free-throw line. He’s been one of the most important players for the Charge, playing 34.8 minutes per game and winning the G-League’s “Impact Player of the Year” award last season.

For the Cavs, Holland will be a volume scorer who excels at creating his own shot (76.9 percent of his two-point field goals were unassisted). He won’t just attack the rim, although over a quarter (27.9 percent) of his points are scored in the paint (7.2 points per game). Holland will provide floor balance, with 55.1 percent of his attempts coming inside the arc and 44.9 percent coming from three-point range.

At times, the Cavs’ best defense is an overwhelming offense that keeps putting the ball in the basket and keeping the other team at bay. James hasn’t had a balanced volume scorer beside him all season. It might have been against lesser competition but Holland, fifth in the G-League in points per game, had a 43-point and a 33-point performance in the last week.

He just has natural scoring ability, which is apparent from his confidence in pulling up off-the-dribble. He also has, not just the quickness to consistently penetrate the teeth of the defense but, the nifty moves and nimbleness needed to create shots for himself around the rim as well. Holland’s increased playmaking ability would seem to be influenced by his basketball experience as, at 29-years-old, he’s been a student of the game for a long time.

He shouldn’t be confused as a pure passer but he’s a player that can consistently recognize what pass to make and a scorer who opens up shots for teammates with the attention he draws. On the big stage, Holland won’t be perceived as a threat in the way he is in the G-League but he can catch unassuming opponents off guard with his shot-making ability. He should be able to drive-and-kick for the Cavs but it wouldn’t be surprising for him to work a nice two-man game with a big man in the pick-and-roll.

Defensively, while going up against the explosive point guards in the NBA is a daunting task, Holland is a tenacious defender who won’t give up on the play in the fullcourt or halfcourt. If he’s beat off the dribble, he’ll go for the block. If he’s asked to trap a ball-handler or is able to provide help, he’ll try to get a strip. This isn’t to say he’ll be holding point guards to a certain point total but he, like Iman Shumpert, will certainly work his tail off to make it hard for them.

Holland hasn’t had any time with the Cavs players since training camp so defensive rotations may not be crisp at first but having LeBron James and Jae Crowder on the court communicating with him will help.

In the week that Shumpert is out, Holland will have a chance to prove he can be in the rotation until Rose returns. With the injury history of Shumpert, Rose and (to an extent) Isaiah Thomas, this stint likely isn’t his last with the Cleveland Cavaliers but the first.

Related Story: Could John Holland start at point guard for the Cavs?

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com, basketball.realgm.com and stats.gleague.nba.com