The Cleveland Cavaliers are 11 games into the 2019-20 NBA season and have perhaps surprised some people a bit this season. How important is each player to the Cavaliers?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a surprising start so far this season. They had a chance to get their record to .500 through 10 games when they lost by a point to the Philadelphia 76ers. They then followed it up and laid their first egg of the year (at least for a half) in their previous game against the Miami Heat and their record currently sits at 4-7.
A 4-7 record would be much to write home about for most teams, but for a team that had a season win total coming into the season, set by the Action Network, of 24.5 games, it is encouraging.
It has become readily apparent, through 11 games, which players are the most important to the Cavaliers’ success. Just to get it out of the way, all stats in this power ranking will be courtesy of Basketball-Reference. If John Henson, Dylan Windler, and Ante Zizic weren’t injured, they would be included here. Alas, they are injured, so they will not appear.
#12 – Tyler Cook
Cavaliers’ bench big-man Tyler Cook has appeared in just four games this season and is only averaging 2.5 minutes per game. He likely would be on the Cavaliers G-League team if Henson and Zizic were healthy but the Cavs are so thin in the frontcourt that he needs to hold a roster spot.
For the season, Cook has averaged 1.5 points and 0.8 rebounds per appearance.
#11 – Brandon Knight
Perhaps in a bit of surprising move here after starting two preseason games, Cavaliers’ veteran guard Brandon Knight only has three appearances for the team this season, and that was due to injuries.
During those appearances, Knight has averaged 12.7 minutes, 5.3 points, and 2.3 assists.
#10 – Alfonzo McKinnie
There is potential for Alfonzo McKinnie to jump up the power rankings as the season moves forward but for now, he is towards the bottom of the list. The Cavaliers seriously lack size and athleticism on the wing. McKinnie could be someone who provides that.
McKinnie has appeared in five games for the Cavaliers and has averaged 3.4 minutes per appearance. He has per-game averages of 0.6 points and 0.8 rebounds.
His per-game stats aren’t as high as Knight, but it’s clear, Knight will only make an appearance if the Cavaliers are down a guard or two on a particular night.