Cavs: With Kevin Porter Jr. sidelined, Dante Exum should have a bigger role
By Dan Gilinsky
A bigger playmaking role for Exum with KPJ sidelined
Exum only had 2.2 points and 0.6 assists in 7.5 minutes per game this season with Utah, as noted by Basketball Reference, but that was a much different situation, as the Jazz are a different class of team than the rebuilding Cavaliers.
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The Cavs again, are rebuilding, as I highlighted before when emphasizing how Exum, who has good passing feel, should be getting meaningful minutes right away for Cleveland, to help shoulder the playmaking load for Darius Garland and Matthew Dellavedova, in particular.
Porter has a promising assist rate for a score-first player of 14.3% this season, but Exum I’d expect to turn it over less frequently.
Anyway, Exum’s 4.2 assist-per-36 minute clip for his career is solid for a reserve player, and again, to help make up for the lack of reserve playmaking Porter provided, Exum’s playmaking role should be a considerable one for a young team that desperately needs it.
Exum’s ability to initiate offense in stretches should also allow Garland, Sexton and/or Brandon Knight to play more off the ball, and all three of players are very good catch-and-shoot three-point marksman when they don’t hesitate.
Along with that, similarly to Cedi Osman, Exum is a more than capable cutter, which is something head coach John Beilein and the Cavs will always appreciate.
Now we’ll get into how Exum’s role could also expand with KPJ sidelined on the defensive end.