Cleveland Cavaliers: Nwaba gives glimpse of his game against Hornets

Tuesday night against the Charlotte Hornets was Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard David Nwaba’s first chance at significant minutes this season. He didn’t disappoint.

In fact, he left Cleveland Cavaliers’ fans wondering where he’s been during the early portion of the campaign. Nwaba, acquired via free agency after last playing for Chicago, was averaging just a hair over nine minutes per contest. It puzzled most as to why the third-year pro out of Cal Poly wasn’t receiving any time on the floor really, especially considering the position the Cavs are in this season.

Tuesday night might’ve changed the way the organization views Nwaba’s potential.

Let’s be honest, the Cavs don’t have a ton of physical guards. They don’t have a lockdown defender who can help Jordan Clarkson in that second unit, though they know Clarkson is still very much a liability on that end. And honestly, the team still is working with most of their young players on playing smart with the basketball. Nwaba has looked clean in that aspect as well.

He’s a little more polished than the rest of the pack, possibly by experience in this kind of environment. Nwaba spent the entire 2017-18 campaign with the Bulls, whose main priority was to tank for another top draft pick. As a result, he saw 23.5 minutes per night and even started 21 games for Chicago. There’s no doubt that helped Nwaba, even throughout all of the losses they suffered through.

So maybe being familiar with what is unofficially a “tank season” for the Cavaliers is helping Nwaba adjust so smoothly.

He didn’t question his minutes or role while he sat full games out, more than likely understanding what he signed up for. And now his patience is paying off with Larry Drew now in charge of the team. In the last three contests, Nwaba has seen double-digit playing minutes. Tuesday night was his first time eclipsing the twenty-minute mark for the season.

Where does Nwaba fit though?

While he might not be better than Rodney Hood, who currently starts alongside Collin Sexton, one could make a case on why the starting small-forward position is perfect for Nwaba.

He plays a physical game, for starters. While Sexton and Hood play finesse games and attack the rim more gracefully, Nwaba comes full-steam ahead with ferocity. Off the bat, that already provides a different dynamic that the Cavs didn’t have before offensively. He may be a tad undersized for the position but in today’s NBA, that’s permissible due to the nature of small-ball lineups.

Defensively, he’s still a guard at heart. That gives Cleveland essentially three guards that can swap and match up for their best chance at success. With Sexton still learning defensive assignments and such, it wouldn’t hurt to have another capable defender out there to shoulder the burden. That’ll free up Hood to focus more on his offensive game, as he’s been the guy tasked with helping the rookie defensively.

If you aren’t sold on Nwaba possibly starting, then that’s fine. He’s perfectly okay coming off the bench as one of the first guys. He provides a nice pace on the floor with the high-wired Clarkson, who’s still working on becoming a little more pass-oriented. Having another strong-minded guard like Nwaba on the floor forces Clarkson to pass more than maybe he’d like. That’s a good thing for his development and the team’s overall success.

Ultimately, David Nwaba can make an impact no matter where or when he plays. There’s a case to be made for him becoming a starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers. There’s also reasoning behind why he’s currently one of the first guys off the bench. No matter the role, it’s apparent that Nwaba deserves more playing time going forward.