2 goals for suggested FA target Derrick Jones Jr. if he ends up with Cavs

Jones Jr. Cleveland Cavaliers goal #2: Place second on the team in total steals

During the 2019-20 NBA regular season, Jimmy Butler led the Miami Heat with 103 total steals over the course of the season. Derrick Jones Jr. was fourth on the Heat’s total steals list with 58 on the year.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a team currently desperate for any sort of defensive help that they can get. Cleveland ended having the NBA’s worst defensive rating for the second year in a row during this now-past season for them. The Cavaliers defense has been an atrocity as of recently, and one major area of need for the team is wing defense.

The Cavaliers need players who can consistently put up strong defensive performances against opposing teams’ small forwards. Jones Jr. could potentially be that player for the Cavs defense.

With his athletic abilities, plus a 7-foot wingspan, Jones Jr. has the ability to matchup with any perimeter player opposing him. His physical characteristics make him such a versatile defender that it is not hard to imagine him wreaking havoc for the Cavaliers on the defensive end.

Placing second on the Cavaliers in steals would be a great goal for Jones Jr. if he finds himself in Cleveland. His defensive potential is one of the reasons why he is such an attractive option for the Wine and Gold. If he can continue to build upon his current defensive skills, Jones Jr. could maybe end up being the best defender on the Cavs roster.

I suggest placing second here, though, with how Andre Drummond, assuming he’s back, was second in the league in total steals leading into the novel coronavirus-induced hiatus and what would be the end of 2019-20 for Cleveland. And Larry Nance Jr. and Collin Sexton, Cleveland’s total steals leader during this now-past campaign, will factor into this too, for further context.

Albeit all of this hinges on the Cleveland Cavaliers actually signing Derrick Jones Jr. to a contract. With how crazy things have been in the NBA as of late, no one has any idea what to expect in free agency.

But I think it is safe to assume that if Altman and the Cavaliers have an opportunity to sign DJJ, they will consider it heavily.