To many spectators surprise, Jose Calderon is playing very well for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he’s been instrumental in their 12-game win streak.
Back before the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Derrick Rose and before they traded away Kyrie Irving, the Cavs signed aging point guard Jose Calderon, who many thought was a very underwhelming start to the offseason. With Isaiah Thomas’ rehab still in progress and an array of injuries to Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert, Jose Calderon, for the past eight games, has been the championship-caliber Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting point guard.
Calderon has appeared in 15 of the Cavs 24 games. He has also started the Cavaliers last 8 games, well over half of their now 12-game winning streak. Needless to say, Jose Calderon has been getting his fair share of minutes.
At 36, Calderon has obviously lost his step from the seasons where he nearly averaged a double-double in points and assists. That said, Jose has averaged over 8 assists in four seasons scattered throughout his career. His ability to distribute has been key in securing a permanent role with the Cavaliers, who have one of the most three-point dominant teams in the NBA.
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After a forgettable season with the Los Angeles Lakers last year, many thought the veteran Spaniard was washed up. However, Calderon proved otherwise, and it’s clear why he’s succeeded.
For starters, Calderon has not been asked to do too much. Throughout the entire season, Calderon has just one game where he has scored more than five points. He has similar totals while in Los Angeles, but in Cleveland, the difference has been what is asked of Calderon. Helping captain both a young Hawks and Lakers team last year, Calderon was asked to be more of a scorer than he was comfortable with, resulting in his low percentage from the field (40.4% from the field, 26.7% from three). In Cleveland, Calderon has been asked to score when he can but also to differ as much as possible. That’s led him to over 43% shooting from the field and over 40% from downtown. Playing with LeBron James, one of the greatest players in NBA history, also helps.
When a point guard is asked to do more he’s comfortable with, his percentage’s suffer, like Calderon’s did, but normally his turnovers are also much higher. This season, Calderon has been averaging a career-low 0.8 turnovers per game. Surprisingly, this season is also not the lowest minutes per game of his career. Last season, when he split time with Los Angeles and Atlanta, he averaged just 13.1 minutes per game.
Calderon is still an effective player. Over the course of the Cavs’ last eight games, he’s collected 17 assists and committed just 7 turnovers. He’s also shot a very respectable 10-for-21 from the field and 6-for-14 from deep.
Calderon is past the part of his career where he will be dropping 10+ a night, but he can successfully operate a pick-and-roll, along with playing surprisingly solid defense. That said, here’s a prime example of how Calderon can operate in the pick-and-roll with LeBron James as a decoy.
Coming into this season, very little analysts thought that Jose Calderon would have a role, let alone the starting point guard role. He has proved them wrong and excelled along the way.
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That said, it looks like Jose Calderon’s efficiency and excellent play over the past eight games could certainly have earned him a role in some capacity moving forward as the team regains their depth at point guard.