Cavs: Playing Keep or Cut with players on back end of roster

Playing Keep or Cut with Cavs players: Mfiondu Kabengele

Most players fighting to stick with a roster were taken late in the second round or went undrafted, trying to earn their first guaranteed deal in the league. Mfiondu Kabengele is an outlier as a recent first-round pick, who flamed out so quickly that the LA Clippers simply cut him.

He caught on with the Cavs last season and played in 16 games for the team, averaging around 11.6 minutes per game in spot roles. The theory behind Kabengele is tantalizing: a shot-blocking, rebounding center who can space the floor beyond the arc.

Unfortunately Kabengele has struggled to put that combination of traits together through 51 career games. He has been decent on the defensive end as the rebounding has been there, and he built on that strength by clearing the glass often during the NBA Summer League this month. He blocks shots at a good clip, but is frequently out of position leaping for the block.

Offensively very little has come together for Kabengele. He has shot just 31.4 percent from 3-point range in his career, including just 26 percent last season. For a big his 37.1 percent field goal percentage is extremely poor, but especially since he is often generating high-percentage putback opportunities by crashing the offensive glass.

Kabengele should have dominated Summer League, but while he was a strong rebounder he still couldn’t capture his offensive game in Las Vegas, even when Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley were shut down. His talent is undeniable, and it wouldn’t be terrible to keep him around and see if he can take a step forward. Even so the odds are so long that at this point the team would be better served adding a backup center with his roster spot who can be relied upon. Kabengele, unfortunately, cannot.

Verdict: Cut