The Cleveland Cavaliers had more than enough firepower. Even with Darius Garland on the shelf, they had enough offensive resources to keep up with every high-scoring team in the league. The defense, however, was a different story.
That's why they made sure to get their hands on Keon Ellis. The former Sacramento Kings guard established himself as a prime perimeter stopper for one of the worst teams in basketball, and he was the type of role player championship teams have to target.
Ellis' arrival in Cleveland has worked wonders for Kenny Atkinson's team. In just 10 games, he's already piled up 14 blocks and 17 steals, which is even more impressive if you consider his 6-foot-4 frame. More than that, he's giving this team something they've lacked since their title run in 2016.
Cavaliers finally have an elite defensive role player
Back in 2016, most people gushed about LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love-- and rightly so. Then again, Iman Shumpert's defensive presence made life much easier for Tyronn Lue and company. Now, Ellis is finally here to carry that same torch.
Ellis makes the most of his freakish 6-foot-8.5 wingspan. He's disruptive in passing lanes, has quick and smooth hands to pick up his man's pockets. He is elite at providing help defense and recovering to swat shots into the third row as a weakside defender.
The Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 109 when he's on the floor, which is five points better than their season-long defensive rating (114.0, 12th in the league). That would rank third in the league behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder (106.1) and Detroit Pistons (108.2).
According to Basketball Reference, he also ranks seventh in steals per 100 possessions (3.1), and he has a 4.5 defensive box-plus-minus since he arrived in Cleveland, which would be the highest in the league ahead of Nikola Jokic's 4.0. That's even higher than Victor Wembanyama (3.6) and Ausar Thompson (3.3).
That's elite defensive production, while also providing streaky three-level scoring off the bench. He can create his own shot or facilitate for others, and he can easily be a starter in certain matchups or if someone gets hurt.
Role players don't usually get that type of recognition. But just in the same way the 2015-16 Cavaliers probably wouldn't have won a ring without Shumpert's pesky defense, Ellis' addition has significantly raised this team's ceiling in the playoffs.