In the second half of the regular season, Caris LeVert played very well for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since mid-January on, he looked to be more comfortable, and was regularly making a difference for Cleveland, often off the bench.
LeVert’s scoring splits for the regular season didn’t necessarily pop out at 12.1 points per outing, which tied his lowest output per game since his second NBA season, back with the Brooklyn Nets, when he had those identical splits. As the year progressed, though, he was more effective in his time on the floor for Cleveland, and post-All-Star break, things really clicked for him as a two-way player.
In that time, LeVert had 12.5 points per contest, but he knocked down 46.6 percent of his 4.6 three-point attempts per game, and tacked on 3.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds per outing. He was making a sizeable impact for the Cavaliers on defense, too, and as a team defender, his rotational awareness played into him averaging 1.3 steals in those 19 appearances.
Thus far, it’s been a mixed bag for LeVert in Cleveland’s first two first round games versus the New York Knicks.
He was just one-of-seven from the field in 18 minutes in Game 1, and was a minus-14 in Cleveland’s 101-97 loss then, and looked to be out of sorts, to some extent. Then in Game 2, similarly to many Cavs, it was a different story for him. LeVert had 24 points on nine-of-16 shooting in an expanded role with 40 minutes of playing time, and then, he was four-of-nine from three-point range. He was also a plus-23.
LeVert gave the Cavaliers a significant boost in Game 2 on both ends, and it was timely for the Wine and Gold, particularly as an additional option to Cedi Osman, and with Isaac Okoro subbed out early on because of foul trouble. LeVert has proven to be a key playmaking option for the Cavaliers in his time in games as well throughout this season, and should continue to be.
It’s evident LeVert is an impact contributor for Cleveland, when he’s on. So, should the Cavaliers consider moving him back to a starting role regularly, then?
While it’d be a reasonable move to start him again, LeVert has thrived in his key bench role, and should be playing the lion’s share of minutes as the first Cavs sub, anyway.
Okoro has not been effective offensively through two games, and because of foul trouble and early turnovers, played less than three minutes in Game 2. LeVert was making an imprint early on after being subbed in, and others, including Danny Green, were involved, along with Osman. The end result was Okoro not having opportunities from there.
Now, Osman is questionable going into Game 3 with an ankle sprain, so that’s something to keep in mind, for a possible alternative to Okoro as Cleveland’s starting 3 in this next game on Friday night. Time will tell on the Osman front.
Pertaining to LeVert, however, even with his great Game 2, including in his defense of Jalen Brunson, and with the success of lineups with him alongside the Cavs Core Four, it’d still be sensible for the Cavs to have him remain as that first sub.
Sure, it wouldn’t be necessarily surprising if LeVert were to start in Game 3, and KJG’s Josh Cornelissen believes LeVert will end up doing so. Having said that, with the energy LeVert has provided often off the bench as a two-way player, I’d personally prefer he still be utilized against the Knicks, and potentially onward as Cleveland’s sixth man.
That can help give an inconsistent bench unit, in terms of scoring at least, pop in that regard, to go with supplying the team with another playmaker, and he provides a different wrinkle as it relates to Brunson defensively to Okoro.
To reiterate, it wouldn’t be shocking if LeVert were to start in Game 3, and feasibly other games. But to keep New York and/or other potential clubs more off balance, Cleveland sticking with LeVert off the bench, where he can still play 30-plus minutes anyway, would be my preference. And if the Cavaliers were to want to start him in second halves based on gameflow, as they did in Game 2, so be it.
What J.B. Bickerstaff chooses to do will be one of many storylines to watch in Cavs-Knicks Game 3 as the series shifts to New York.