Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyle Korver’s off-court impact is worth keeping him

Kyle Korver showcased last season that while not playing all too many minutes he can still be an asset for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On April 17, Ohio.com wrote a story on Kyle Korver’s assistance on LeBron James‘ free throw shooting. During his fourth tedious season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James had seen his free throw percentages dip significantly to the point where something must be done.

While playing over 100 games per season for almost a decade could certainly be the culprit, James, nonetheless, was assisted by Korver, who seemed to help slightly alter his stroke.

When the postseason came, Korver’s impact seemed to help turn those regular season struggles around.

James shot almost 75% in the postseason and could’ve significantly risen that if he hadn’t completely collapsed from the line during a few specific games. However, when it mattered, James’ free throw shooting came in clutch.

He shot 89% for a four-game stretch to end the Indiana Pacers’ series, shooting 11.0 per game. Additionally, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals and all four Finals games, James shot 84.2%.

Clearly, not all of James’ success during those stretches was solely on Korver’s assistance, but it seems ignorant to assume that the two weren’t related.

At 37, Korver’s on-court impact might be better if he was sharing the court with a player that possess unnatural vision like Ben Simmons or LeBron James, but his off-court impact could be even greater on this much younger team.

That’s one reason the Cleveland Cavaliers shouldn’t wheel and deal the aging shooting guard for a highly-protected, low-ceiling first-round pick. It’s just not worth the impact that Korver could have on the shots of immature players like Larry Nance Jr. and Collin Sexton.

Both Nance Jr. and Sexton could benefit from a little extra training with the all-time great sharpshooter. Cedi Osman even looked to take after Korver in some of his mannerisms that were displayed during the Las Vegas Summer League.

That said, Korver might not seem like one of Cleveland’s most important players, but he could turn out to be the most important for these players long-term success.