What’s Caris LeVert’s ideal role?
Cavs news and links for Monday, August 26.
Let’s have a good start to the new week. Here’s your Cleveland Cavaliers news and links of the day.
The first sip
Caris LeVert will be going into his fourth year with Cleveland. None of his previous seasons have involved him playing the same role.
The Cavs traded for LeVert after Ricky Rubio tore his ACL. That team desperately needed a ball handler besides Darius Garland to get their three bigs involved. LeVert did that as he slotted into the starting lineup at shooting guard.
That role drastically changed once the team traded for Donovan Mitchell. LeVert was shifted back to the bench while also closing many games at small forward. This required him to guard the opponent’s best wing option while being relegated to a spot-up shooting role alongside Garland and Mitchell.
Last season was another shift. Planned backup point guard Ty Jerome getting hurt two games into last season forced LeVert to take turns filling in at that position. He wasn’t closing games at small forward with Max Strus in town, but he was asked to shoulder more backup point guard responsibilities. This caused him to be a play creator more than the play finisher he was for stretches of the 2022-23 season. As a result, he assisted on 26% of Cleveland’s baskets when he was on the court (96th percentile for a wing) while turning it over on just 10.3% of them (67th percentile).
There isn’t a clear-cut answer as to which function he performed best or what would be most ideal for him. LeVert’s versatility is the most valuable tool he has to offer. He’s capable enough to fill holes as they arise but also doesn’t perform these functions well enough to keep you from wanting an upgrade at that spot.
What LeVert’s role looks like next season will likely be dependent on factors outside of his control.
Random Cavalier of the Day - Tree Rollins
Rollins was one of the best defensive big men in the league in his prime. He led the NBA in blocks in 1982-83 and made two All-Defensive teams. He wasn’t that same player when he played for the Cavs from 1988-90. By then, he was a reserve center who was brought over to Cleveland to back up Brad Daugherty.
The 1988-89 Cavs were one of the best teams in franchise history. They went 57-25 before being on the wrong end of Michael Jordan’s shot to end Cleveland’s season. Rollins participated in each game that series while providing four blocks and nine points in Game 3.
Rollins played 18 seasons in the NBA. This included being a player-assistant coach for the Orlando Magic in his final campaign. He served as an assistant there for several seasons and other NBA teams before moving to the WNBA where he last was an assistant during the 2014-15 season with the Chicago Sky.
WNBA schedule today
- Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream, 7:30 PM
- New York Liberty vs. Phoenix Mercury, 10 PM
- Washington Mystics vs. Seattle Storm, 10 PM