Grading Cleveland Cavaliers starters through three games of action

Grading Cleveland Cavaliers starters: Caris LeVert, SF

Caris LeVert got the nod to start at small forward, a controversial decision that seemed to ignore that his skills are incredibly redundant with the other starters. Similarly to a much more dysfunctional team on the West Coast, the Cavs seemed to flirt with the idea of bringing LeVert off of the bench before entrenching him as the starter when the regular season began.

LeVert’s redundant play style became a benefit rather than a drawback when Darius Garland went down, and LeVert has played heavy minutes in his absence, averaging 34.7 minutes per game. The good includes his playmaking, as LeVert has shown early chemistry with the team’s bigs and is averaging 6.3 assists per game, by far a career-high. His outside shot is also falling, with LeVert shooting 7-for-14 in the early going.

The bad? Well, it’s the intersection of his inefficiency inside the arc and his love of dribbling the basketball. LeVert is shooting only 15.8 percent from 2-point range, last in the NBA among all 172 players who have taken at least 15 2-point shots this season. He has often seemed to take on himself the task of creating offense and fought his way into the paint only to be surrounded by defenders who harry him into a poor shot.

LeVert’s defense has been fine, and he won’t shoot 15.8 percent on 2-pointers all season, but if he can’t settle into the offense in a way that elevates the team and decreases his personal time of possession, it will be a long and frustrating season for both sides.

Grade: C