The Cavs bench still has something to prove in Game 2

Cleveland’s bench in Game 1 didn’t look too different than previous versions that failed in the postseason.

One of the biggest distinctions of this Cleveland Cavaliers’ team compared to years past is that the bench felt reliable and deep. They have been the ones to seal games away, add onto the lead created by the stars, and provide something of real substance. In Game 1 against the Miami Heat, Ty Jerome covered up what was a regression to the past more than a continuation of the regular season.

I want to acknowledge the obvious, yes, this was one game, the sample size is small. Yes, the bench has shown up as a major contributor all season. However, the bench in Game 1 against the Heat was very concerning for a plethora of reasons. Ty Jerome, as per usual, saved the Cavaliers from an underwhelming showing from the second unit.

All season, head coach Kenny Atkinson has declared that the preference is to play a deep rotation of 9-10 guys. If Game 1 is any indication of the production to come, there will be a lot of cardio guys and Tony Snell stat line memes incoming. Ty Jerome accounted for 28 of the 34 second-unit points out of the five bench players to see meaningful minutes. That simply will not get the Cavaliers where they want to be in the second round and beyond.

De’Andre Hunter

Let’s start with the biggest offender. De’Andre Hunter, the crown jewel of the trade deadline, had been excellent for the Cavaliers, averaging 14.3 points over his first 27 games for Cleveland. Hunter proved to be another reliable option alongside his college bestie in Jerome. The stat line wasn’t the most glaring issue with Hunters’ play on Sunday Night.

The Heat defensively are as well-coached as it gets. They switch up their defensive scheme frequently, sometimes even possession to possession. It was apparent from the minute Hunter stepped on the floor that he was uncomfortable. Hunter didn’t stretch the floor or look willing to shoot the ball.

While yes, Hunter can get iso-centric, at least he remained aggressive on ball and is capable of hitting tough self-generated looks throughout the regular season. Against the Heat, he struggled with their physicality and was honestly invisible for the entirety of his 16 minutes.

Isaac Okoro

Isaac Okoro, while more aggressive with his touches, still shot 0-4 from the perimeter. Listen, this is not something I enjoy typing out; however, the Cavaliers cannot give Okoro this type of runway past the first round.

I get that Atkinson was letting Okoro play through the slump as a means of seeing what he can get from him in the postseason, but this was just a reversion to the mean of Okoro’s playoff past. Okoro started by hitting the side of the backboard and proceeded to miss wide-open looks that the Heat were more than willing to offer. Now, Okoro does more than knock down shots for his value, however, the Heat don’t have the firepower to justify this type of one-sided contributions.

The others

Sam Merrill was thrown into a tough situation, but he handled the rotations well and made the most of it, rather than turning in a poor performance. Merrill was often in three-guard sets, and against a physical Miami team, this is just not ideal. There really isn’t anywhere for Merrill to hide, especially when it’s alongside the two other guards. Merrill isn’t a pushover defensively, but it certainly doesn’t put him in a good spot when he has to fight for his life on the defensive end.

And then there’s Dean Wade — the surprising odd man out. He matches up better against Miami than any of the other bench forwards, yet he played just seven mostly invisible minutes. Even with zeroes from both Hunter and Okoro, Atkinson showed little interest in giving Wade a real shot.

This isn’t new — Wade’s career has been marked by hesitancy. But if he can simply decide to be part of the offense and take open threes, he could change the entire dynamic of the second unit. He might be the best three-point shooter among the bench forwards, and the Cavs need that spacing badly.

Yes, Ty Jerome was phenomenal. And yes, he deserves every bit of praise he’s getting. But if the Cavs’ bench continues to be a one-man show, it could derail what’s supposed to be a deep postseason run.

The Cavaliers have been plagued by poor bench play in the past few postseasons, and for all the talk of how night and day this unit has been, Game 1 was, for the most part, a regression to the past. We’ll see if that changes tonight.