Depth has been Cavs strength
Cavs news and links for Monday, November 4th.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 7-0 and they largely have their depth to thank for it.
The first sip
It’s been a dream start for the Cavaliers. But that dream almost ended when the Milwaukee Bucks attempted to deliver a reality check on Saturday night. The Cavs fell behind by double-digits early and it wasn’t until Sam Merrill and Isaac Okoro took the floor that momentum began to shift.
Merrill got the ball rolling with three triples in his opening minutes. Okoro continued to build steam with a pair of his own, to go with 10 points in the first half. The two of them continued to make an impact throughout the game, drawing numerous offensive fouls and combining for 27 points off the bench. It’s hard to see the Cavs crawling back from that early deficit without this surge from Okoro and Merrill.
Cleveland’s second unit has given them life all season. The Cavalier bench ranks first in Offensive Rating and third in Net Rating. The timely help from everyone on the roster has allowed the Cavs to play 48 minutes of excellence.
Caris LeVert deserves a nod of his own. He’s averaging 12 points and 4.3 assists on a ridiculous effective field goal percentage of 73.9%. That efficiency is not sustainable. But LeVert’s authority with the second unit is. He’s been a stud under Kenny Atkinson — dismantling his defenders and creating quality looks for himself and others. At this rate, LeVert will land firmly in Sixth Man of the Year discussions.
The Cavaliers' depth has been a luxury to start the season. It’s allowed them to avoid playing their starters heavy minutes while picking up wins along the way. This separates the Cavs from most other teams in the league and gives them a real shot at being contenders.