Cavs backcourt was wildly misplaced, among others, in Sixer Sense rank

Many other tandems were misplaced

Outside of the Cavs being ranked 17th, there were a few other head-scratchers on Kline’s list. I’ll be honest, the first head-scratcher is the Sixers ranked 6th. James Harden used to be one of the top-five or six best players in the world. However, we are far past that time, and his backcourt partner might actually be more valuable than Harden himself.

While the superstar still averaged over 20 points per game, he was not efficient in doing so, shooting only 40% from the field last year. Tyrese Maxey on the other hand, had a great stretch towards the end of the season and into the playoffs. In the playoff series versus the Miami Heat, Maxey led the team in minutes per game and points per game, with 20.2. He also shot much better than Harden from the field at 45%. Overall, Maxey may not be a better player than Harden right now, he will be soon, so their number six ranking is a bit over the top.

A couple other tandems I think that were misplaced were the LA Clippers and the Chicago Bulls. The Clippers backcourt next year will consist of Paul George and Reggie Jackson, in the scenario that Kawhi Leonard is back in the fold; granted, George will play multiple positions on the perimeter, anyhow.

George is still an underrated star, but his health has been a problem as of late. On top of that Jackson is a good, not great point guard, who saw his scoring average bubble up to 16.8 last year without Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

As for the Bulls, Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine are very exciting young players, but Ball has issues staying healthy, and he isn’t a great shooter. His shooting has improved a lot since he was drafted, but it could still use some work. LaVine is a great scorer as well, but he can be a liability on the defensive end, and isn’t consistent enough to warrant this ranking.

Overall, there is a little bit of buzz about this Cavalier backcourt coming into the season. Part of that is because Collin Sexton could return. I don’t think the Cavaliers will put him in the starting lineup, but he would be a great sixth man, that could close out games if need be.

It’s true that Cleveland won’t sneak up on anybody this year, but with a top-10 backcourt in my opinion, getting to the postseason could be an attainable goal.