Cavs: Post-up players should have plenty of room to operate

Post-up players for the Cleveland Cavaliers should have plenty of room to operate next season.

Looking at next season, I’d imagine the Cleveland Cavaliers should have their share of floor spacers. Collin Sexton, who has shot 39.2 percent from three-point range through his first two seasons, has proven to develop into quite the catch-and-shoot threat from downtown.

Darius Garland, though he was underwhelming as a scorer overall as a rookie with 12.3 points per game, still did knock in 105 three-pointers in 59 games (out of 65 possible) active. In that shooting realm, and as a recent Cavs tweet hit on, the capability is there for Garland, and he’s a floor spacing presence.

Plus, while I still believe he’ll eventually become more of a bench piece due to the defensive end, Cedi Osman should still get his share of burn in 2020-21, and he shot a career-best 38.3 percent from deep in 2019-20.

Of course, Kevin Love, who I believe is Cleveland’s volume best shooter off-the-catch, hit 37.4 percent from three-point range on a career-high 7.0 attempts in 2019-20. His presence, and along with those others mentioned, should open up plenty of space for Andre Drummond, for instance.

Drummond has previously emphasized on a podcast appearance that he fully intends to pick up his $28.8 million player option for 2020-21, so it’s safe to say he’ll be back.

It’s safe to believe that Drummond/other post-up threats for the Cleveland Cavaliers should have their share of room to operate.

While it’s evident that Drummond is not a shooting presence outside the deep paint, his post polish/touch/footwork is much improved in recent seasons, and the former longtime Detroit Piston is definitely a formidable player on the interior.

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Drummond, who is fresh off posting the highest scoring average of his career at 17.7 points per game, did not start off how he wanted to with Cleveland initially, but was finding his groove as a post threat eventually.

The Cavs season would then unfortunately go on a novel coronavirus-induced hiatus, and Cleveland was not ultimately invited to Orlando. I’d think Drummond should fit in better next season in playing alongside Love, Sexton, Garland and others, though.

Larry Nance Jr., even while he has come a long way and shot a career-high 35.2 percent from three-point range, showed real progress as a post-up threat last season, too.

That was a welcomed sight, and factoring in pieces such as Dylan Windler, a potential knockdown shooter, Osman, and/or Sexton/Garland, we could see more of that from Nance.

That’s especially with him showing the ability to rise up over defenders in the paint after post position. If opponents start to cheat to Nance post-ups, with his passing vision, he should be able to initiate the requisite open ball-swing to counter that, too.

Swinging back to Windler, he’s a piece that could really space the floor for Drummond in stretches, Nance, and Love, though way more so in the mid-post area. That’s due to Love’s history of back issues.

Windler did not play in 2019-20 due to complications involving a stress reaction in his left leg, but he reportedly is progressing well in his rehab from that. Considering that, I truly believe he’ll end up being a key piece in his time on the floor.

That relates to him being such a gifted shooter on spot-ups, off of movement/pull-ups, him being a polished cutter/finisher and as next season progresses, potentially as a situational pick-and-roll ball handler.

The spacing element he should provide again, though, could end up being the biggest impact he has game-to-game for post-up pieces such as Drummond and those others mentioned.

Also, while he needs to improve in his off-the-bounce shooting and he shot a feasibly below average 33.5 percent for a perimeter player, Kevin Porter Jr. did shoot 40.7 percent on catch-and-shoot three-pointers in 2019-20, per NBA.com’s shot tracking data. Porter had an effective field goal shooting clip of 59.9 percent on spot-ups as a rookie, too, and placed in the 79th percentile on spot-ups, per Synergy Sports.

So while KPJ is not nearly in the same realm overall in terms of shooting reputation as Garland, Sexton, Love, necessarily Osman or Windler, if he’s open off-the-catch, he’s highly capable. Porter hit 38.8 percent in his last 16 games active overall from deep as well.

He should in time be capitalize more and more after ball-swings after doubles to Drummond, Love if stunters commit hard to him in the mid-post, and/or Nance.

In terms of another piece that could play into options as far as post-ups next season, I could see the Cleveland Cavaliers drafting USC’s Onyeka Okongwu, who could form a solid duo in stretches alongside Love or Nance. Okongwu is a terrific defensive player that had 2.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game and is very switchable as a 4/5, but he is a polished low-post player, too.

Pieces such as Sexton, Garland, Windler, Osman and/or Love would help Okongwu in terms of room for operating on the low block in stretches throughout games, similarly to Drummond as well.

Anyhow, next season, if we see more assertiveness from Garland from deep, and Porter can improve a bit there, and with Windler in the fold, I’d imagine the Cavs could place in the top 12 or so in three-point percentage.

I don’t see them being 22nd again in that in 2020-21, and Drummond’s presence should help if he can clean up his turnovers.

Along with that, Okongwu, who is a much better passer than the numbers suggested from his lone collegiate season, would I believe initiate his share of ball-swings if doubled, which would help lead to open perimeter looks.

In any case, next season, the Cavs’ post-up threats should have plenty of room to operate, and I’d imagine that will work two-fold as games progress for the Wine and Gold.