Following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ destruction of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday evening, coach Kenny Atkinson said that Caris LeVert’s deep shooting has caused him to “turn a corner” in his career. He also highlighted that his pupil has “the curse of the great ball handler” because his first instinct is to dribble, and that making him more of a 3-point shooter failed when they were together in Brooklyn.
“It’s changing his value to our team,” Atkinson said. LeVert finished the night with 19 points on six-of-nine 3-point shots, with four assists, two steals, two blocks and a turnover.
Caris LeVert is having an excellent season
Through 27 outings, the Cavaliers have had four super subs who have had an unquestionable impact on winning, but LeVert is the top guy. He can create shots for others plus himself and is now a dependable release valve. To boot, he is logging a high assist-to-turnover ratio (3-1) and has supplied the second-most Jarrett Allen baskets (21) behind Darius Garland this season.
On top of being the team’s leading reserve scorer, LeVert is producing his most accurate campaign while on the best team he’s ever played for. In fact, he has logged 12 of 21 games shooting at least 53 percent in 2024-25. Last year, he only recorded 12 of those through 68 games.
Most of his shots come from deep, but second on his diet are the ones taken at the rim, where he is shooting a few percentage points below average. Furthermore, about a fifth of his actions come as the pick-and-roll ball handler. He can hunt down opponents because his effective field goal percentage is 69 on those plays.
Keep in mind that Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics, 65.4), Santi Aldama (Memphis Grizzlies, 68.5) and LeVert (64.6) are the only sixth men in the NBA this year playing at least 24 minutes and recording an effective field goal percentage of at least 64. This type of firepower makes the Cavaliers dangerous because opposing defenses have to double-team other Cavs carefully when he’s on the floor.
Don’t forget that his top showing of the season came in a winning effort against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 5. LeVert connected on five of six 3-pointers in transition plus the half court and had six offerings to four teammates. That night, Donovan Mitchell and Garland also had six assists, but LeVert took care of the ball better, losing it only once.
Since the Cavaliers have been a powerhouse, no one is playing heavy minutes. In the event the team needs more time from LeVert, he will be suited for the role because his per-36-minute numbers are sharp: 17.5 points on a 63 effective field goal percentage.
Additionally, when Max Strus makes his season debut with the rotation, LeVert’s kickouts from dribble penetration will get him open in the half-court.
To pile on, his defense is important because he has size and can move well laterally . He has spent 60.2 percent of his time covering guards and he is holding them to 32.4 percent shooting, per the NBA’s matchup data.
LeVert is starring in his role as one of this team's top weapons out of the holster. He will be one of the key pieces that will help push this Cavaliers build to new heights.