The Cleveland Cavaliers will utilize their share of handoffs next season, and here, we’ll take a look at a few to watch for.
Next season, I would like to think that the Cleveland Cavaliers should be use more shooting off of movement, with Darius Garland more involved in that way, to go with Kevin Love.
Dylan Windler, though he did not play with Cleveland in what was supposed to be his rookie campaign in 2019-20 due to complications involving a stress reaction in his left leg, could play a key role in that way, too. With Windler reportedly progressing well in his rehab, I believe he will be as well, and could be a productive secondary playmaker in his minutes-share to pair with his shooting.
Also, while I wouldn’t expect that to be the case as much as comparatively Windler or Love, Collin Sexton did show glimpses of effective off screen shooting last season, and I’d hope to see that more in 2020-21.
Along with the starting options, the Cavs should benefit from more shooting capability, factoring in Kevin Porter Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. on spot-ups and Windler, which should aid in having better spacing for drivers/cutters. That’s coincided with seemingly more off movement shooting, along with that.
That said, as a quasi-pick-and-roll-type scenario for Cleveland, I’d still expect to see handoffs, for instance, at times throughout games. That’d be mostly on the wing to help generate pick-and-pop plays or rolls to the basket after feeds.
Cleveland only placed in the 17th percentile among teams in that playtype last season, per Synergy Sports, but I’d imagine with more floor spacing in 2020-21 and with young pieces more comfortable, the Cavs could improve in a sizable way on those plays. Or, that could at least lead to more production off of shots after passes following initial drop-offs.
So what could be a few notable handoff games to watch for the Wine and Gold next season?
We’ll highlight three of those key handoff pairings here for the Cleveland Cavaliers for 2020-21.
First up, we’ll take a look at one involving your typical 1-4 pairing for the Wine and Gold, and featuring two highly capable shooters and passers.