Evaluating Lamar Stevens’ play for Cavaliers in the starting lineup

The acquisition of Donovan Mitchell prior to the start of the season via trade from the Utah Jazz gave the Cleveland Cavaliers four All-Star-caliber players in their starting lineup. However, the Cavaliers still had one position in their starting rotation left to fill, small forward, which is arguably the most crucial position in basketball nowadays.

Caris LeVert won the starting spot to begin the season, but aside from a 41-point outburst at the Boston Celtics, he struggled to get into a rhythm on offense.

Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff searched for answers after they lost their final three games of their West Coast road trip and inserted Lamar Stevens into the starting five.

Shortly after being moved to the Cavaliers starting unit, Stevens gave the squad a jolt, and his defensive skill set can’t be discounted.

Stevens, who was a vital part of the Cavaliers rotation at numerous points during last season, played in just two of the Cavaliers first 12 games. Stevens’ impact was felt right away, thanks to him staying ready, and he scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But, Stevens’ most significant impact is on the defensive end of the floor, as he is capable of defending multiple positions and is a scrappy defender. After all, the Cavaliers “Junkyard Dog” award was first awarded to Stevens last season.

This junkyard dog mentality is exactly what Cleveland needs from their starting small forward. The Cavaliers backcourt is going to shoulder the scoring load most nights, and the interior combination of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley is one of the league’s best, so having that scrappy, do-it-all forward fits the starting five well.

Lamar is also not afraid to be a vocal leader for the Cavaliers. Bally Sports Ohio reporter Serena Winters recently shared a story where Stevens got on Mitchell against the Atlanta Hawks after he got scored on a pair of times. Winters went on the say that Mitchell appreciated and respected Stevens speaking up and even stated Stevens was the first person to get on him like that since his college head coach in Rick Pitino.

Stevens was a longshot to make the Cavaliers roster two seasons ago, but he was able to impress the coaching staff enough to earn a spot on the roster eventually via multi-year deal, albeit mostly non-guaranteed.

Cleveland has had their fair share of luck regarding undrafted free agents, though, and Stevens was originally an undrafted, two-way signing out of Penn State. After all, Dean Wade has carved out a role for himself on the Cavaliers after being undrafted out of Kansas State and a two-way player initially as well. Then there was Matthew Dellavedova, who quickly became a fan favorite in Cleveland.

Dellavedova possessed a lot of the qualities Stevens shows. They are both tough, hard-nosed players who scrap on the defensive side of the ball and can knock down the timely shot on offense, or Delly used to at least.

Stevens is hitting nearly 42 percent of his three-point attempts and is scoring over nine points per game this month. Those numbers are just what the Cavs need from Stevens on offense, too, mixed in with quality cuts off-ball.

Cleveland has missed Stevens in the lineup the past three games as he’s dealt with a non-COVID illness. Isaac Okoro can fill in on the defensive side of the ball, but his offensive game is not on the same level as Stevens. And conversely, at times, Cedi Osman is a capable scorer but can get careless with the basketball and isn’t the same level of defender as Stevens.

So while Cleveland’s All-Star backcourt and big man duo will receive the majority of the recognition, the importance of Lamar Stevens in the starting lineup is vital to their long-term success this season.