Cavs: Ante Zizic should have expanded role post-trade deadline

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Ante Zizic has not played much this season, but that should change post-trade deadline.

At this point in the 2019-20 season, Tristan Thompson has played the vast majority of minutes at the 5 for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s yielded good results, as Thompson is currently on track to average a career-best in points (12.4), rebounds (10.3), assists (2.1) and steals (0.8) per game, as indicated by Basketball Reference.

Thompson continues to provide sound interior defense, and while being healthier this season, has done a commendable job when needed in switchout situations on to perimeter players, too.

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His post game/touch on short hooks is much improved and he as always, has kept setting terrific screens on and off the ball for players such as Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman and others, along with grabbing offensive rebound after offensive rebound game-in and game-out for head coach John Beilein and the coaching staff.

Anyhow, John Henson, when healthy, has been a viable backup at the 5, and he’s been pretty active defensively, as he leads Cleveland with 1.2 blocks per game, according to NBA.com.

He’s also been a capable roller/screener and hand-off man, and has really shown impressive passing feel to me in his minutes on the floor, too; his 16.0% assist rate, as noted by NBA.com, illustrates that.

Post-trade deadline (which is February 6), however, it seems very reasonable that at least one of TT or Henson will be wearing a different NBA uniform. They could provide solid big man minutes for teams looking to make a postseason or championship push, and Thompson, especially, has ample postseason experience.

Factoring in that, coupled with a promising performance on Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it seems Ante Zizic should have an expanded role post-trade deadline for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Zizic has only appeared in 13 games in 2019-20, and played just 9.7 minutes per outing. He unfortunately had a reported plantar fasciitis issue in his left foot that held him out of all preseason action, and Zizic didn’t make a regular season appearance until mid-November for the Cavs.

In some stretches, though, Zizic has shown that he’s a more than capable roller, and when he’s gotten meaningful minutes to get into the flow of games more, he’s been a productive reserve post player, just as was the case in 2018-19.

On Sunday against Minnesota, he again demonstrated that with 15 points on six-of-seven shooting, to go with 12 rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes, as noted by ESPN. Now I’m not basing this take on just one game, where Karl-Anthony Towns was again out vs. Cleveland, which played into Dante Exum getting a ton of scoop layups and a career-high 28 points.

Furthermore, Kevin Love (rest), Thompson (illness) and Larry Nance Jr. (knee soreness) were all sidelined.

Nonetheless, with the Cleveland Cavaliers feasibly trading Love, given the reports surrounding him and the team’s dynamic recently seemingly resulting in a trade by the deadline to avoid potential for further distraction, along with Thompson/Henson on expiring deals, Zizic should have an expanded role in the season’s last few months.

Even if Thompson or Henson stick around as the likely starting 5, I’d think Zizic should get consistent run in the season’s last few months.

I’m probably more bullish on Zizic than some other Cavs fans, but given that the team declined Zizic’s fourth-year option for next season but are reportedly potentially considering bringing him back on a team-friendly contract anyway, why not give the 23-year-old more burn in the closing stretch of another rebuilding season?

Beilein was bullish on Zizic before he got injured, and with the big man rotation seemingly set to be much different post-deadline, Zizic’s role should be expanded. That’s even whether or not Tyler Cook, whose contract was converted to a standard contract by Cleveland, is potentially in the rotation if it becomes guaranteed feasibly on the guarantee date on January 7.

Either way, though, Cook is a natural 4-man. Moreover, it seems sensible to give the 6-foot-10, 266-pound Zizic an expanded role post-deadline.

He has his flaws as a non-floor-spacer, is not going to be able to switch out at all in defensive pick-and-roll and he’s not a realistic shot blocking presence. That being said, he has good interior polish, and holds his own in the post on both ends while also being a really good screener.