Cleveland Cavaliers’ Stock Up, Stock Down at just past the halfway point
Note: the “stock up, stock down” doesn’t necessarily refer to trade stock, but is a way to review how the Cleveland Cavaliers’ players have been performing, as I’ve noted before.
We’ve reached the halfway point of the season, so we’ll take a look back and access stocks more holistically in this edition of Cleveland Cavaliers’ “Stock Up, Stock Down.”
Stock Up: Jordan Clarkson
Going into the year, Jordan Clarkson was somewhat of a question mark. After looking solid during the regular season, Clarkson had one of the all-time bad playoff runs. He struggled shooting and was not a willing passer.
This year, he’s been one of the few consistent players for the Cavs, averaging 17.1 points per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from the three-point line off the bench (per NBA.com).
While the percentages may not jump out at you, keep in mind Clarkson is playing with the second unit most of the time, and defenses can key on him since he’s often the only scoring threat. Clarkson has had a fine season, and potentially good enough for a contender to trade for him.
Stock Up: Tristan Thompson
Tristan Thompson is doing exactly what we all expected him to do: shoot a high percentage and rebound. TT is averaging a career best 11.6 points a game and shooting 53.1 percent. Of his 11.1 rebounds per night, 4.5 come on the offensive glass, per NBA.com.
Thompson has reportedly grown as a leader this season, too, as Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor noted a while ago. Thompson has provided a much-needed veteran presence in the paint as well as in the locker room.
Stock Steady: Collin Sexton
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It is hard to assess rookie guard Collin Sexton‘s campaign to this point. He’s been up and down, with stretches where he plays good basketball, but also games where he can’t hit a jumper to save his life and takes too many ill-advised shots near the teeth of the opposing defense.
Given the circumstances surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers, his performance averages out so giving him a “steady” rating seems fair.
Overall, Sexton has respectable numbers, putting up 14.6 points a night on 41.5 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three, (again, per NBA.com).
Two areas Sexton needs to continue to improve on include his passing and shot selection. Sexton is only averaging 2.8 assists per night while playing starter’s minutes.
According to NBA.com, 45.3 percent of Sexton’s shots have come from the mid-range area, which is realistically way too high of a number in today’s NBA for a guard. He’s shooting 41.3 percent on those.
He needs to not shoot as many of those inefficient shots, which are often highly-contested.
Stock Down: Cedi Osman
Fan favorite Cedi Osman came into the season with a little bit of buzz after reportedly working out with LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard in the offseason (per the aforementioned Fedor). After a solid start to the year, Osman has cooled down in a big way.
On the year he’s averaging just 11.7 points per game, while shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from three, yet he’s taking 43.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
Stock Down: Kevin Love
Kevin Love came in with a fresh new contract extension, but before the ink could even dry on the deal, Love had an injured foot. Injuries have long been a thorn in Love’s side. His trade value is at an all-time low as he not only is locked in a big contract, but can’t stay on the court.
Next. Cavaliers could once again be respectable thanks to the lottery. dark
Keep an eye out for the next installation of this series. Roster changes could be coming by that time.