Cleveland Cavaliers: Roles in the Post-LeBron Era

With LeBron James no longer on the roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ rotation will be anything but the same.

Cleveland Cavaliers training camp will begin later this month and the team will look a lot different after the departure of LeBron James.

This offseason, the Cavaliers added Collin Sexton, David Nwaba, Isaiah Taylor, and Sam Dekker and brought back fan favorite, Channing Frye.

Now, the Cavaliers have a number of decisions that ultimately boil down to one – Playoffs or Pick.

The Playoffs option results in veterans such as Kyle Korver, J.R. Smith and George Hill getting the lion share of backcourt minutes. Going for the pick would result in giving more time to young players such as Rodney Hood, Cedi Osman and Sexton.

To remain viable in the near future, the Cavaliers need to keep their pick and only do so if it falls inside the top ten. In keeping the top ten pick they should play the young players and see what they have going forward. Unfortunately, Hill, Korver and Smith are not part of the Cavaliers future, but they could play different roles for this team while showcasing their talents for the other 29 NBA teams.

It has been speculated that Hill could start at the other guard position to play alongside Sexton to help take some of the pressure off the rookie. Hill provides the Cavaliers with shooting, as well as the ability to handle the ball and defend. Though not an extraordinary floor general, Hill is a savvy veteran who can teach Sexton how to be a professional and help him learn the position.

Finally, with the number of high level free agents available next summer, Hill’s contract is essentially an expiring deal with only $1 million guaranteed for the 2019-20 season. The Cavaliers could take on a bigger contract going forward for Hill in exchange for draft picks and/or young players.

The next Cavalier veteran that could be on the trade block is Korver.

Turning 38-years-old toward the end of the season, he’ll have to decide if playing for a contender is important to him.

Even at his age, Korver is a valuable offensive piece. He shot 45.9 percent from the field last year and 43.6 percent from three. It would be a surprise if he is still on the team past the trade deadline, since teams are always looking for shooters and he is one of the best all-time.

Another player for the Cavaliers that could be on the move this season is Smith. He has not been the same player for Cleveland the last two seasons that he was the first season and a half he had been in Cleveland.

There was a report that the Houston Rockets “kicked the tires” on a trade for Smith, but nothing has come of that.

Smith could be the odd man out for the Cavaliers wing rotation.

They will have Osman, Hood, Jordan Clarkson, Nwaba and will most likely try to build Korver’s value. Hill will also take minutes at that guard position.

Smith’s, like Hill’s, contract is not fully guaranteed past this season. He is due $15.68 million, but only $3.87 million is guaranteed.

Ultimately, “Swish” could be another trade candidate like Hill in which the Cavaliers bring back long-term money.

Two younger veterans that will need to step up in the post-LeBron era are Osman and Hood.

Osman, penciled in at starting small forward this season, will need to improve some areas of his game, starting with his consistent shooting ability. In 61 games last season, 12 in which he started, Osman shot 48 percent from the field and nearly 37 percent from three. It is still a very small sample size during his rookie year, though, as he only attempted 3.0 shots per game from the field and 1.4 shots from the outside.

While the Cavaliers were not able to sign Hood to a long-term deal, he has signed his qualifying offer and will return for the 2018-19 season.

The Cavaliers will need Hood as much as he needs the Cavaliers. Hood has shown the ability to create offense for himself in his career. Before coming to Cleveland last season, Hood was averaging nearly 17 points per game on 42.4 percent shooting from the field and 38.9 percent from the outside.

Last season, the Cavaliers depended so heavily on James creating his own offense, but also for everyone else on the team. Hood needs to help create opportunities for his teammates, and it will take a great deal of effort on his part. He has only averaged a mere 2.0 assists per game throughout his career.

Training camp is right around the corner and the regular season opener against the new-look Toronto Raptors is just over a month away. Chances are this team will look much different by the end of the season as it did to the team in June.

If the Cavaliers are struggling come January, maybe even before that, do not be surprised if the team looks to move some of their veteran pieces to help set themselves up for long-term success. To do that, the top ten pick cannot be moved and the Cavs must acquire as much young talent as they can.

*All stats gathered from stats.nba.com, www.espn.com, and cleaningtheglass.com