He hasn’t been out for too long, but the absence of Lamar Stevens has still been felt in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ last few contests.
Stevens has missed Cleveland’s past three games because of a non-COVID-19-related illness, and in that batch of games on a mini three-game road trip, Cleveland was handled by the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday and the Toronto Raptors on Monday. The Cavaliers got the job done in the fourth quarter at the Detroit Pistons in a win on Sunday, on a positive note.
Now, Jarrett Allen only registering 12 minutes of play in those aforementioned outings for the Cavaliers hasn’t helped, and hopefully, he can be back sooner than later as he recovers from a lower back contusion. Allen is truly an invaluable player for the Cavaliers, with what he provides on both ends of the floor in the paint, as an increasingly switchable big defensively, and for what he does as a screener and rebounder.
That said, while he was only active in three of Cleveland’s first 12 games this season, with others involved, Stevens was inserted into the starting lineup essentially in place of Caris LeVert following that, and thus far in his game action this year, Stevens has done solid work.
In what is now his third year with the Cavs, he’s had 7.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per contest, in nine appearances. As we touched on, too, he had been recently been back in the rotation, and was finding ways to help the team as a multi-positional defender, cutter and improving off-ball contributor.
So, hopefully the team gets him back soon, and he could possibly make his return versus the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night for Cleveland, of which he’s questionable.
Stevens is seemingly close to returning for the Cavaliers, and could surely give them an added spark.
Stevens has his warts, which one has to acknowledge, as at times, he can be prone to overdribbling, as some guys can be to get themselves into a rhythm.
From there, Stevens has shown flashes on catch-and-shoots, and did last season, and thus far, he’s hit 41.7 percent of his threes, albeit on just 1.3 per outing. He’s not a traditional spacer by any means, either, and in extended stretches with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, on offense that is, it can be limiting for Cleveland on that end.
On the defensive end, Stevens can overextend on occasion, and can take some unnecessary fouls, putting key opposing scorers on the free throw line. Some matchups, in terms of quickness, are difficult for him as well versus perimeter players.
But, Stevens’ capability to contain opposing forwards is always meaningful for stretches, and his screen navigation and effort to help box out on the glass have aided the Cavaliers in his time back in the rotation.
As far as offensively, although Stevens has some limitations, he’s a much-improved cutter than he was in his first season, which began on a two-way deal, and Stevens has long been a polished finisher at the rim, whether that’s with power, touch or body control. As a tertiary shot creator, he can convert on mid-range and/or short pull-ups as well.
Granted, as we’ve mentioned, Stevens is still a player that has his blemishes, and while a couple of contests played into his plus-minus as a starter being minus-6.8, that was in six games. For context, his plus-minus as a bench contributor has been 5.7, but with the minutes-share having been 7.6 in three appearances, that was the reasoning.
To the former point, aside from an outlier game against the Charlotte Hornets, when he was just one-of-five shooting, and a minus-15, Stevens has made his imprint on games in multiple ways, and when given regular opportunities, he’s proven he can find his spots offensively. That’s dating back to last season, also, and with him barely getting any minutes before those starts, one had to cut him some slack.
Whether or not Stevens is a longer term starting 3 option still is something that needs to be ironed out by the Cavs, and Dean Wade might fit that bill more, objectively, with his perimeter shooting ability.
But either way, Stevens should receive a decent amount of minutes when he is back, as his effort level, forward defense and underrated offense can give this Cavs team an added spark. And realistically, he’s a player that can mesh with other guys such as Wade or Cedi Osman in spurts if the primary shot creation is there around them.