Jaron Blossomgame should play more minutes for Cleveland Cavaliers

Wednesday’s night outcome wasn’t ideal for the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they dropped a contest to Charlotte Hornets by a final score of 110-99. However, it appears Jaron Blossomgame might have opened some eyes.

Jaron Blossomgame had a surprising outing in the loss, scoring fifteen points on six-for-seven shooting, knocking down three of his four attempted perimeter shots. He played a tad over 23 minutes in the contest to earn the second-most minutes he’s seen this season with Cleveland thus far. His double-digit performance was the second of the season for him, the other coming on December 10th against Milwaukee.

After watching him play nine games now for the Cavaliers, it’s worth saying that maybe Blossomgame should get some more time to shine. As stated plenty of times before, a rebuilding team has nothing to lose by testing out their roster and seeing who’s worth keeping around for the future.

So why not Blossomgame a try?

The 25-year-old out of Clemson University provides versatility on the offensive end. He has no issues getting to the rim with his 6’7, 220-pound build. While he isn’t a world-beater from the three-point line, he has hit three triples in two contests this season and is shooting 37% from behind the arc. In more than 141 minutes logged in the 2018-19 campaign, Blossomgame has turned the ball over just twice.

These are all promising signs for a guy Cleveland brought in during the releases of Andrew Harrison and Billy Preston. The moves, especially Preston’s release, rubbed some fans the wrong way. Maybe it was a lack of awareness on who the organization brought in or just resistance against the team’s plan due to the way things were heading. But for now, Blossomgame has helped defend Koby Altman’s decision made weeks ago.

Here’s another thing: Blossomgame’s development could work two-fold for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I think of T.J. McConnell when analyzing Blossomgame’s situation. The molds might be different but the comparisons are there in terms of a building block or a nice trade chip.

McConnell was undrafted, just like Blossomgame. He signed with the Philadelphia 76ers and played strong through the 2015 Summer League as well as pre-season. As a result, the 76ers brought him on as a member of their roster.

The signing of McConnell was still during the dark days of “The Process.” Philadelphia wasn’t winning many games and their soon-to-be superstar Joel Embiid was plagued with injuries galore. So with nothing to lose, the team gave the former Arizona Wildcat a chance to show what he had.

The result? Twelve-double digit games in a bench role that saw him only start seventeen games and a high-mark of thirteen assists on the season. It was enough for him to remain on the team the following season, and now McConnell is the heart of the second unit for a playoff contender.

It almost seems like that should be the route for Blossomgame. He doesn’t have to start, nor would it be expected over guys like Cedi Osman and Rodney Hood. But getting the nod to one of the bench staples would be a nice test to see how much he can handle.

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It’s a two-fold situation, just like McConnell’s, because the Cavaliers could always showcase him and hope to flip him for some trade value.

McConnell’s name has been tossed around in trade rumors for the last couple of years due to the emergence of Ben Simmons and what the 76ers hoped would be his running mate in Markelle Fultz. But Fultz’ injury woes and the lack of depth at point guard has kept McConnell safe.

Quite honestly, it’s the best of both worlds for Philadelphia and could be the same for Cleveland.

If Blossomgame plays lights-out basketball, the Wine and Gold could decide to incorporate him in their plans down the line.

He’s got the size to play every night at his position and with some grooming could be a nice rotation piece. If they prefer not to move forward with him, the hope would be that they’ve at least played him enough to display his trade value.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have to answer questions regarding the long-term with Hood, Alec Burks, and David Nwaba all due for new contracts. If Blossomgame plays well enough, could he possibly fill one of their roles next year? It would more than likely be Nwaba or Burks’ spot that he would take and it would be a cheaper option for Cleveland as they continue their rebuild and bring in a presumed top draft pick next summer.

Again, it’s all about how well Blossomgame plays. To know what he’s got, however, he’s going to need some time on the floor.