5 Cavs who have surpassed expectations this season
These Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t the same team as the one from years past and it’s not just the new faces. Or is it?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 24-9 and 33 games into the season, there have been a few players who haven’t just stepped up to the plate but stepped their games up to a new level.
With a collection of players who had a chip on their shoulder, players like Derrick Rose, Jeff Green, Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas who came to the Cavs’ hungry and ready to prove their worth to league, they’ve been a gritty squad who takes the regular season seriously.
After losing to the Golden State Warriors for the second time in three seasons and the media incessantly searching for not just the next generation’s superstar but the person who would take the throne from LeBron James, he came to training camp with something to prove as well. One could even assume that the offseason trade rumors that included the names of Kevin Love, Channing Frye and Iman Shumpert incensed those individuals, whether or not they say they care.
As a result of their hunger and their passion, a few of these players have taken their chances to shine and excelled. Countless others who didn’t seem to come to camp with any extra motivation from the summer’s events stepped on the court and shined anyways.
Jeff Green
Jeff Green has gotten a bad rap despite being solid player who contributed to winning seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers.
He had the worst season of his career last year with the Orlando Magic, as he averaged career-lows in every major statistical category with 9.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.2 blocks in 22.2 minutes per game. He also shot a 39.4 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from three-point range, career-lows as well.
Without including that season, Green has averaged 14.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks in 32.0 minutes per game in his career. He shot 43.8 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from three-point range in his first nine seasons.
A versatile combo forward with the ability to handle the ball, post up, knockdown outside jumpers, throw down monstrous dunks and defend multiple positions, Green’s potential has always been alluring to teams given the dynamic impact he can have on the court. However, when too heavily relied upon he’s not a consistent enough volume scorer, as indicated by his career shooting percentage (43.7).
However, on this Cleveland Cavaliers team, Green is asked to dominate within a more refined role. While falling only falling behind LeBron James, Kevin Love and Dwyane Wade in field goal attempts per game (9.8), Green is only asked to be a secondary or tertiary ball-handler and to attack the rim from the perimeter and in transition. When he attacks, he looks a bit like a mini-LeBron as he tries to bully his way past defenders or launch himself through them. This has led to him making 57.1 percent of his shots on drives (Green only converted on 40.4 percent of his drives last season).
While Green’s 32.2 percent shooting from three-point range doesn’t make him a big-time threat, he’s been able to convert efficiently enough for the Cavs to continue trusting him from outside.
Green is averaging 10.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. He’s shooting a career-high 50.6 percent from the field. Per 36 minutes, Green is averaging 17.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steal and 0.5 blocks per game — his points and steals per 36 minutes are the second-highest of his career, while his rebounds are the third-highest of his career and his assists are the highest of his career.