Cavs: Grading J.B. Bickerstaff’s performance at quarter mark

It’s been coming up on nearly a year since J.B. Bickerstaff, previously the squad’s associate head coach, took over the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching role for John Beilein, who would then move into an unspecified role with the organization.

But Beilein was clearly not cut out to be the Cavs head coach, and he’s now an analyst for the Big Ten Network.

Anyway, since then the Cavaliers went 5-6 to end last season, which was ultimately cut short for them due to novel coronavirus concerns/not being an Orlando bubble team and they’ve begun this one 9-9. And Bickerstaff deserves his share of credit for that/their competitiveness.

So how has Bickerstaff graded out thus far, involving the results in 2020-21?

Looking at this performance so far for the Cavs, I give him an A- grade at the quarter mark.

As I mentioned the team noticed an instant change in their ability to compete. This carried over into the next season and hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Defensively speaking the team has made huge strides and currently sits at ninth in points allowed per game. Bickerstaff has been able to utilize each player’s abilities on defense and overall has the team playing much better together as a unit, and some of that has been his willingness to use zone defense, too.

The Cavs, thanks in large part to players such as Andre Drummond, even with him seemingly being a player that won’t last through the trade deadline, to go with Larry Nance Jr., Damyean Dotson and others, have been able to consistently generate turnovers.

Moreover, the Cavs are first in creation of opponent turnovers per outing, second in deflections per game, per NBA.com’s team hustle data, and are eighth in defensive rating, and Bickerstaff has factored into that.

Bickerstaff has also been able to fully utilize Collin Sexton’s skill set often in pick-and-roll. After showing an instant boost in play under the promotion of Bickerstaff last season, Collin currently is averaging 25.2 points and 4.2 assists per game this season. And his passing is coming along, too.

Sexton has blown up and has made a name for himself this season with monster performances and he seems to be a player Cleveland will build their future around and having a head coach that can utilize his strengths is huge. But Sexton’s approach to games, and seemingly having been more under control has been key, too.

Bickerstaff also promotes a play style and culture that the Cavs wanted and needed so badly. The team wasn’t going to be relevant overnight after LeBron James departed to the Los Angeles Lakers.

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However, with a culture that encourages players to play hard on defense and make extra effort plays the team appears to be far more competitive than they were without Bickerstaff.

A- isn’t perfect, though, and there is plenty of room for him to grow. While the defense has thrived, offensively speaking the team has often been horrendous, and is 28th in offensive rating.

While ball movement has looked good at times and players like Sexton and Cedi Osman have had plenty of high scoring games, the team is still inexperienced as a whole and has had a fair amount of struggles regarding scoring.

The reason I still considered this an A- compared to grading him in the B range is because of injuries.

The Cavs have had a tough go this season from losing many rotational players for considerable stretches/if not worse. Almost everyone has been down at some point.

Specifically focusing on injuries on offense both Kevin Love (right calf strain/reaggravation) and Dylan Windler (fractured left hand) have missed significant time, two players who can shoot and score effectively.

Love has proven to be a reliable scorer and Windler has shown promise to space the floor with lethal shooting ability, but both have missed a majority of games thus far, but Love is reportedly is well on his way, and Windler has since been active the past four games.

As of now at the quarter mark into the season, I’m confident in grading him an A-. The clear difference Bickerstaff’s had on the team and especially Sexton should be an indication the team should continue improving and fighting this season, regardless of their standing.

And the recent trade acquisitions in Taurean Prince and Jarrett Allen should only aid the Cavs’ efforts, too.