The best Cleveland Cavaliers to wear each uniform number

This run of players features some forgotten role players, some beloved big man and ends with a player sprinting up the franchise ranks.

#19: Lenny Wilkens

The future coach wore #19 when he played in Cleveland, beating out a couple of role players in Damon Jones and Raul Neto.

#18: Hot Rod Williams

Backing up Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance didn’t allow for a ton of starts, but Hot Rod Williams was a steady presence in the frontcourt for a number of really good Cleveland teams.

#17: Anderson Varajao

The Brazilian big man was a longtime Cavalier, earning plenty of fans in Cleveland and enemies without for his flopping and antics.

#16: Cedi Osman

Cedi Osman wins the pennant from the three players who wore #16; the Turkish wing has played all six seasons of his career in Cleveland, who traded him this past summer to the San Antonio Spurs.

#15: Roger Phegley

With all respect to Roger Phegley, it’s slim pickings at No. 15; perhaps Isaiah Mobley can break through. Phegley was a 6’6″ shooting guard whose best season came in Cleveland in 1980-81 when he averaged 14.4 points per game.

#14: Foots Walker

Foots Walker beats out Dirk Minniefield on a list of deep-cut options who wore #14. The 6’0″ point guard played 427 games for the Cavaliers in the 1970s.

#13: Tristan Thompson

The easy pick for #13 is Tristan Thompson, the former No. 4 pick who developed into a double-double machine and key player on four consecutive Finals teams.

#12: Brevin Knight

Brevin Knight began his career with the Cavaliers, playing 3.5 seasons as a pass-first point guard before being moved to the Atlanta Hawks.

#11: Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Big Z was a strong tower in the middle for the Cavaliers for over a decade, ranking second in franchise history in games played, rebounds and scoring. He beats out two-time All-Star point guard Terrell Brandon and a late-career visit from Walt “Clyde” Frazier.

#10: Darius Garland

In his first four seasons with the Cavaliers, Darius Garland has already made an All-Star Game and become one of the league’s best passers and shooters.