The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the NBA’s best second units

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who recently went on a thirteen game winning streak, might have proven that they have one of the best benches in the NBA.

After a rough 5-7 start, the Cleveland Cavaliers have dominated their competition, winning 14 of their last 15 games. A huge reason for their success has been their second unit.

This is far different than last season. Last season the Cavs benched ranked No. 28 in points per game with just 29.1. Now, they are a top-five scoring unit, averaging over 40 points per game. They are also a top-five shooting team, converting on an impressive 47.4% from the field and 36.7% from three-point territory. This second unit has really stepped it up.

The Raptors have the only second unit of a quality team to truly rival the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers and Raptors are the only two teams over .500 that have a bench that also averages over 40 points per game. Outside of Toronto’s second unit, who have a +4.5 +/-, the Cavaliers’ second unit has the league’s highest +/- at 3.3. This second unit has been fantastic.

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Why have the Cavaliers’ bench been so impressive? It mainly boils down to two things. The settling in of Dwyane Wade into a permanent second unit role and the eruption of Kyle Korver have both been instrumental in the second unit’s success.

When Dwyane Wade goes off, the team dominates. In the three games that Wade has hit 20 or more points, the Cavaliers have won two of the three, and their only loss was a two-point loss to the Hawks in which Wade was a +23. It’s not just his scoring though, Wade has been the second unit’s main distributor. In his last thirteen games, Wade has racked up at least four assists in ten of those games, and the Cavaliers have won twelve of the thirteen. When Wade is effective as the second unit’s captain, the Cavaliers succeed. His addition has played a critical role in the team’s recent success.

Kyle Korver’s ability to shoot and be a distraction both make him a vital second unit player. Korver, who didn’t have as large a scoring role last season, has averaged 10.3 points per game. At 36, Korver is playing better basketball than he did in his prime, which includes a time period in which he went four straight seasons not averaging double figures. The machine gun, as he is also called, has hit at least three triples in an incredible fourteen games this season. Korver’s ability to divert defenses also creates several mismatches which the Cavaliers eventually expose.

While Wade and Korver have been the second unit’s two standout players, the success of entire unit is also thanks to players like Jeff Green, Channing Frye, and Cedi Osman. Winning fourteen of their last fifteen would not have been possible without the strong performances from these three players also.

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The Cavaliers have slowly figured out their identity, and now, their second unit, along with their starters, is playing at a level that can rival the league’s best.