This Cleveland Cavalier season has been about two things: 1) The team’s core working well together; and 2) A bench that is one of if not the best in the NBA. The Cavs are going to need this bench if they want to defeat Indiana in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Cavs Bench Players
Here is your bench if you are Kenny Atkinson, assuming Darisu Garland’s toe injury isn’t too serious, though it seems to be. Sam Merrill, DeAndre Hunter, Ty Jerome, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and a cast of characters. (We will keep Max Strus as a starter for now.) There are a few newcomers to the Cavs bench like Javonte Green and Chuma Okeke, but they have been with the club for the least amount of time (Green 18 RS games and Okeke 2).
Regular season numbers for the bench crew show a team net rating of 2.8, which places them 4th overall in the NBA (Boston, Thunder and Memphis round out the top three).
Some Highs
Deandre Hunter led all bench scorers in the NBA this year with 16.9 PPG.
Ty Jerome was the first player in NBA HISTORY to average 11.0 PPG+, a .500+ FG%, 1.0+ SPG, .400+ on 3 PT FG% and .850 FT% and less than 20 MPG! (From the Cavaliers official playoff guide)
Sam Merrill set a Cavs record for recording 9 triples in a game against Dallas this February coming off the bench!
We can pick games where every member of the bench had some crazy good game. Heck, even Jaylon Tyson, when called upon in November to start, had an amazing game! The rookie recorded his first double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. He added seven assists and two steals in 37 minutes. The Cleveland bench is loaded with starter’s talent!
Pacers Bench
The Cavs need to respect the Pacers bench, since they have more playoff experience collectively than Cleveland. The Pacers are 30-16 when six players hit 10 PPG and 14-7 when seven do so.
Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker, TJ McConnell and Ben Sheppard combined for 42 points back in November on 18-20 shooting. The 90% was the highest FG% in history since the NBA/ABA merger.
Their overall bench rankings compare to the Cavs. (From NBA.com)
Category Cavs AVG Rank Pacers AVG Rank
Points 39.7 8th 39.8 7th
FG % 45.9 8th .496 1st
FT % 75.4 14th .774 6th
Rebounds 15.2 20th 16.3 12th
Assists 9.6 6th 10.0 2nd
Steals 3.2 9th 3.6 5th
3 PT A 17.5 1st 11.5 20th
3 PT M 6.6 1st 4.1 20th
As you see, the Pacers have as good a bench if not better in some regards to Cleveland. But in 3 pointers, the Cavs are miles ahead.
Playoffs
With the two blowouts in Miami, the Cavaliers lead all teams in playoff bench production. 110.4 MPG, 17.3 RPG, 11 APG are just a few of the areas they either lead or are in the top 3. But look at their bread and butter. The Cavs are 2nd in triples attempted (17.5) but first in threes made (17.8). The Pacers were 5th in most categories. Let’s see if the layoff hurts those production numbers.
This series won’t be won by the players sitting. It will be won by the starters. But remember, most home team benches play best in the playoffs. The bench feeds off the crowd energy. The key to the series will be when Cleveland gets to Indy. Can the bench stay even with the Pacers? If so, Cleveland has a great chance to move to the Eastern Finals!
The Cavaliers play the Pacers tonight in the first game of their best of seven series for the Eastern Conference Semi Finals at 6:00PM at Rocket Arena. If you can’t make the game, watch it on TNT/tru TV/Max.
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