The NBA Playoffs are always filled with unlikely heroes. Nobody ever knows which role players are going to step up when the lights are brightest and make key plays down the stretch. In 2007, the league saw Daniel “Boobie” Gibson get hot from deep and help lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA Finals.
During the 2015 NBA Finals, Matthew Dellavedova stepped up in a big way doing everything he could to slow down the reigning MVP Steph Curry. There is no question that the Cavaliers are going to need players outside of their starting five to step up and make key contributions to this series.
The Cavaliers addressed their depth issues in the offseason and hope to have a much stronger bench for this playoff stretch. For one, they lacked shooting and had troubles creating space for their offensive stars. Last summer the Cavaliers signed Max Strus and Georges Niang, two playoff experienced veterans who are proven three point shooters.
The Cavs also unexpectedly ran into a rebounding and toughness issue last year in the playoffs. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are tall and athletic, but they have a hard time dealing with more strong and physical rebounders, especially when they raise their intensity and efforts in the playoffs. The Cavaliers made a couple signings to hopefully improve their rebounding and toughness, bringing in Tristan Thompson and Marcus Morris (who joined mid-season).
With all these acquisitions, the Cavaliers have an improved bench and many different lineups that they can experiment with in the playoffs. It is unclear at the moment which bench players are going to receive an increase in their minutes or could see their playing time diminish. Bickerstaff will likely have to make big rotation decisions on the fly, seeing which players are rising to the occasion and which players seem to be fading away. Let’s take a look at three bench players on the Cavs that could unexpectedly swing the entire first round series against the Magic.