3 Cleveland Cavaliers who have exceeded expectations this year

3 Cleveland Cavaliers who have exceeded expectations: Lamar Stevens

Coming into the season Lamar Stevens looked like the odd man out in the rotation. His lack of shooting made him a tough sell at small forward, and power forward was crowded with Evan Mobley, Kevin Love and Dean Wade. Without Lauri Markkanen around to space the floor it looked like Stevens was going to spend this season largely riding the pine.

Instead, Stevens took advantage of a knee injury to Wade to leap right into the starting lineup. He still might not be shooting much, but at least his 33.3 percent from deep is a career-high. What Stevens is providing is energy, rebounding and defense and is a key part of the Cavs’ league-leading defense.

Stevens got his showcase last week in Dallas, when the Cavs rolled in and demolished the Mavericks in their own house. Stevens got the Luka Doncic assignment and stepped up to the plate (sorry to mix sports metaphors), forcing Doncic into a 9-of-23 night (39.1 percent) with five turnovers dragging down his six assists. Stevens had his best offensive game of the season that same night, with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Stevens was +22 on the night; Doncic was -20.

When Dean Wade returns he looks like a better fit for the starting spot than Stevens, but even if he doesn’t start he looks to have carved out a consistent role in the rotation. His energy on defense is infectious and is a key part of the chemistry that is taking these individual players and elevating them to best-in-the-league heights.