Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyle Korver’s greatest strength is self-awareness

The Cleveland Cavaliers know what they have in Kyle Korver, and he knows what he brings to the team, too. That’s a plus.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a funny spot right now, considering they want to win, but don’t know how to do that at the moment. He’s a proven sniper from three-point range (as he’s fourth in three-pointers made all-time), but at 37, Kyle Korver‘s role is tough to peg.

The Cavaliers have chosen to go younger with the players that have been featured off their bench thus far. It was initially reported by The Athletic’s Joe Vardon that Cleveland head coach and general manager told Channing Frye, J.R. Smith and Korver that for the near future, Cleveland is going to go young, and those players would be the odd men out.

Now, though, according to Kevin Love (per Vardon), those vets have to show the young guys the ropes a bit to turn things around.

Still, Korver is 37, he shouldn’t be relied on to play big minutes every night. That being said, he brings winning basketball with his shooting ability and awareness at both ends of the floor. He’s also told the media that whether he plays or not, he’s going to lead (h/t Fox Sports Ohio).

That mindset is Korver’s greatest strength for this team right now, and just playing him a bit each game, such as one quarter or so, should help Cleveland in this tough time.

Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton have taken turns playmaking for the second unit on the perimeter, and that’s had good and bad outcomes. Clarkson is second on the team in scoring with 17.7 points per game, but he and Sexton haven’t meshed well, considering both need the ball in their hands often to be productive.

I’m not the biggest fan of giving Smith meaningful minutes right now, given that Cleveland doesn’t need more volatility, and if Smith doesn’t play well, it would just hurt his trade value.

A better second unit could be David Nwaba sometimes at the two guard with Clarkson taking over as the every night second unit point man. George Hill is a solid veteran point guard, but his defensive ability has declined due to a number of injuries in recent years, and Nwaba is younger with much more defensive potential.

A second unit 1-3 (with Cedi Osman and Rodney Hood sprinkled in) of Clarkson-Nwaba-Korver could have a solid mix of offensive pop and good team defensive awareness (in Nwaba and Korver’s case that is) that should bring transition opportunities.

Moreover, considering Korver is a player who can also fit perfectly in an up-tempo, movement-based offense, and that he’s always going to get back defensively, he can give the Cavs some life.

That’s better than watching Sam Dekker taking it upon himself to throw up bricks from three-point land at least, and other players should have more room to operate. Korver, on the other hand, isn’t going to do too much, and what he does has value, anyhow.