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

Playing Keep or Cut with Cavs players: Lamar Stevens

The Cleveland Cavaliers do not have a single “big wing” on their roster, the type of combo forward who can defend small forwards and power forwards. Taurean Prince fit the bill but has been shipped to Minnesota; Larry Nance Jr. is more of a “4.5” at this point in his career than a “3.5”.

Enter Lamar Stevens, who stands 6’6″ tall with a 6’9″ wingspan. He weighs 230 pounds and it’s seemingly all muscle, and his core strength equips him to take on whatever defensive assignment is thrown at him. Isaac Okoro is shorter and slighter than Stevens and is better deployed guarding shooting guards than true forwards.

While filling that defensive need, Stevens has shown a fun but inconsistent ability to make shots. Occasionally he hits game-winners, but other times he just doesn’t have it and is tossing up bricks like he’s at a construction site. In his lone season in the NBA he hit only 16 percent of his 3-pointers. He has shown some flashes in NBA Summer League, but not enough to suggest he’s suddenly going to become a plus offensive weapon.

The Cavs don’t have another option for that role on this team, especially not with Prince gone. It’s possible they could sign someone in free agency with a better offensive game to be their “big wing stopper” but there aren’t many options left. Rolling with Stevens as a low-cost, low-use option while letting Okoro learn in the fire seems like the best option for the Cavs.

Verdict: Keep