The Cleveland Cavaliers are the only 5-0 team in the NBA. Kenny Atkinson has his new team rolling to open the season. His former player in Brooklyn, Caris LeVert, has been a major reason, as he makes his case to be Sixth Man of the Year.
Sixth Man Caris LeVert Shines as Cavs Off to Undefeated Start
Atkinson’s Imprint
LeVert entered the NBA in 2016 when he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers and subsequently traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Now, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson was the head man in Brooklyn for LeVert’s first three-plus seasons in the league. With Atkinson back as his coach, he has seemingly rejuvenated LeVert back to his best.
LeVert has been a great scorer in the NBA his entire career. He averaged over 20 points per game during the 2020-21 campaign as a member of the Nets and Pacers. His usage has gone down since he was dealt to Cleveland at the 2022 trade deadline. This season, LeVert has a 15.8% usage rate, a career-low. However, it can be argued he is playing as efficiently and consistently as ever. Despite a small sample size, LeVert is playing as one of the best bench players in the NBA.
Altered Role
Alongside playing great defense and adding another dynamic ball-handler to the Cavs lineup, LeVert is shooting the lights out. He is shooting 68.8% from the field this year, including an absurd 64.3% from behind the arc. While playing over 20 minutes per night, he has added 3.8 assists per game and 1.8 stocks. His volume is lower than ever but coach Atkinson has stressed the importance of his altered role.
“I just can’t say enough.” Coach Atkinson said. “We are exploring him [LeVert] to be a more efficient player, to embrace the catch-and-shoot. He’s such a good ball-handler but the way the league is his shooting too, so we just love the way he’s doing it on both ends. I think defensively he’s been phenomenal.”
When the Cavs traded for LeVert, he was brought in to be another dynamic scorer alongside Darius Garland. However, the addition of Donovan Mitchell later that year made his scoring less important to the success of the team. Atkinson’s ability to reshape his role has been crucial to Cleveland’s hot start.
Consistency Is Key
Additionally, while LeVert has been impressive he will experience lulls during the season. It is unreasonable to believe he will continue to shoot in the high 60s for the rest of the year. But, the sample he has shown so far exemplifies how good he can be. The most important part of LeVert’s game is consistency. During the 2022-23 season, he notched a 41-point performance against Boston. He quickly followed that up by scoring just one point against the Knicks in the next game. So far this season, LeVert has scored 19, nine, 10, five, and 16 points respectively in each of the Cavs’ first five games. Not ridiculous numbers, but steady every night.
The Last Word
With Mitchell, Garland, and Evan Mobley as the high-volume scorers on the team, LeVert does not need to be a superhero every night. He must continue to embrace his role. If he does so, he will be in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year in April.
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