Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 storylines to keep an eye on in training camp

Storyline #3: The veterans seem content helping the young pieces

For the Cavaliers to develop their young players correctly, this season must feature the older veterans doing their part as well. Thompson will need to help Nance, Zizic, Sam Dekker and Billy Preston keep progressing as off-ball screeners and pick-and-roll roll men, and Love and Frye will need to aid the young bigs in getting to become more reliable from beyond the three-point arc.

Based on his upbeat attitude in media day on Monday, Thompson seemed determined to help the young guys out this year, and flip the script on what was a disappointing season last year. That’s at least a plus, considering it’d be understandable for him to not be nearly as jovial given the down year he had. Love has also taken the Cavaliers’ primary leadership role by the horns, and that has been evident since LeBron left to LA.

Korver, Smith and Hill will all be relied on to help the younger perimeter pieces in their development, too. That’s not as simple as one might expect, either, as those three players have all been in the NBA for a long time, and they all have been on the postseason stage countless times.

Korver is a vital locker room presence for this Cavaliers roster hoping to make a playoff push, and him being back is big in training camp. Korver was contemplating retirement this offseason, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.

He has tangibly improved Osman’s shooting motion, based on proof from Osman’s new stroke displayed this offseason as a member of Turkey’s national team, and Smith has touched on how he wants to a mentor off the floor for the younger players.

In an interview with Jesse Washington of The Undefeated, Smith emphasized that “More than anything, I want to help the younger guys.”

Smith needs a good training camp, himself, and even with him being limited initially with a sore hip, per the aforementioned Fedor, this is encouraging. Frye and Hill have proven themselves to be great teammates throughout their careers, too, for the record, and they’ll be extensions of the coaching staff.

Moreover, with the Cavaliers facing a season full of question marks, having a unified locker room is going to help Lue out a whole lot.