'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Cleveland Cavaliers' run in the past few weeks before the trade deadline day - 13 losses in their last 20 games - had been dismal, to say the least. GM Koby Altman admitted that there were serious issues with the team's performance - "we were really worried that what was going on on the floor and our culture in the building, we were marching a slow death."
A key problematic front for the Cavaliers was the lack of young talent - none of their starters were below the age of 25. Add to this a dismal defensive record - Cavs currently have a defensive rating of 109.7 - 3rd worst in the league. It was clear that something drastic was required from the management.
And drastic indeed were the trades made by the Cavs on the mid-season trade deadline day. In what was a surprising and comprehensive roster overhaul involving four teams, the Cavaliers packed off six players and two draft picks and received 4 players in return, while keeping their Brooklyn Nets 2018 first-round draft pick intact.
Let's look at each of the 4 new players and see what they have to offer to the now rejuvenated Cavaliers.
#4 Larry Nance Jr.
The 6-foot-9, 25-year old insanely athletic power-forward Larry Nance Jr. shares his name with his father, who was a Cleveland legend. He was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015 and has mostly had a role off the bench for their young squad. So what does this big-man bring to the Cavs table?
Larry Nance is a versatile player and has the ability to switch between center and power-forward, which will work well with the Cavs system of routinely making defensive switches. Add to this the fact that Kevin Love is injured, Nance brings much-needed size in the paint. He is also a tenacious rebounder - Larry had a team-high 2.6 offensive rebounds per game playing for the Lakers. Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love, in comparison, are averaging 2.1 and 1.9 offensive boards respectively this season.
His defensive record during his college years was impressive - he was on the All-Mountain West Conference defensive team as a junior and was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. One major weakness for Nance is his lack of experience in the Playoffs.
But, Nance's biggest strength on the court is his explosive athleticism. A 2018 All-Star Dunk Contest participant, he has posterized people like David West, Brook Lopez, and Kevin Durant over the past couple of years and is known for his athletic put-back dunks. With an excellent passer like LeBron James to assist him, watch out for more highlight-reel dunks from Larry Nance Jr.
#3 Jordan Clarkson
Another young Laker product, Jordan Clarkson, also aged 25, is a 6-foot-5 point-guard and played anchor for the Laker's 2nd team, with performances that invited talks of 6th man of the year contention. He is averaging 14.5 points per game while playing just 23.7 minutes per game this season - which happens to be the most points per game for a player averaging under 25 minutes per game this season (min. 30 games played). In terms of scoring off-the-bench, Jordan is 2nd in the league behind Lou Williams.
The Lakers had a dismal defensive record during the 2016-17 season, following which, coach Luke Walton has brought in a "defense-first" mentality to the team, of which Clarkson is a chief beneficiary. After listening to the Lakers coaches, Clarkson has continued to work on his defense and has the potential to become a much better defender than he currently is.
Clarkson is athletic and for a guard, he finishes very well at the rim. He plays a 'microwave' sort of role, coming off the bench and scoring in heaps, quickly. A consistent 3-point shooter, Clarkson is bound to improve well with a player like James consistently creating open looks for teammates.
Like Nance, lack of playoff experience will probably be his biggest challenge too, going forward. On the whole, Jordan Clarkson brings some much-needed young energy to the new-look Cavs.
#2 Rodney Hood
Yet another 25-year old, the 6-foot-8 Rodney Hood was a first round (23rd overall) pick of the Jazz in the 2014 draft and the go-to offensive option as the shooting guard for Utah Jazz during the last 3 seasons.
Unlike the previous two youngsters, Rodney Hood has some playoff experience. The Utah Jazz won the first round of the 2016-17 Playoffs, upsetting the LA Clippers in Game 7, before running into the Golden State Warriors in round 2 where they crashed out.
Despite the emergence of rookie Donovan Mitchell, Hood, who was assigned a bench role for the Jazz this season, is having a career-high season in terms of points-per-game (16.8), field-goal % (42.4), 3-point shooting % (39) and free-throw % (87.6). Hood has the ability to create his own shots, whether it's driving into the lane for a finish in the paint or making room for a jumper. His tall frame (6-foot-8 for a shooting guard is well above average) helps in his strong finishes at the rim.
This ability to create one's own shots is a much-needed attribute for Cleveland, who in the last few seasons have been mostly relying on catch-and-shoot and assist plays (except James, of course). Add to that Hood’s ability to serve as a secondary ball handler and create scoring opportunities for his teammates, and Cleveland now has a player with such a rare combination of offensive abilities.
#1 George Hill
The only veteran among the 4 players that Cleveland received, the 31-year old George Hill is currently in his 10th season in the NBA, having played for the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz, and Sacramento Kings - from where he was traded in a 3-team deal to Cleveland.
Hill rose to prominence in his second season in the NBA, where he saw his minutes increase from 16.5 minutes in his rookie season to 29 minutes per game. Hill ended the 2009-10 regular season tied at second place with Kevin Durant and Marc Gasol for the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Hill is a career 45% shooter from the floor, but adjusted metrics such as true shooting percentage put him at 58.7%. He brings a wealth of Playoff experience to the table, having played in the Playoffs in 8 of his 9 finished seasons in the NBA so far, missing only the 2014-15 playoffs. He led the Jazz for a win, along with Gordon Hayward, in game-7 of the previous season's playoff series for the Jazz against the Clippers with a good all-around performance.
As mentioned before, defense was one of the primary worries of the slumping Cavaliers and George Hill has a big role to play in reversing this. He is proficient in stopping pick-and-roll plays and plays tenacious on-ball defense. As Gregg Popovich puts it, "Hill does a little bit of everything, the great thing about him is that he's a very good all-around basketball player, he's a tenacious defender, he can score, he can run, he's a good passer, he knows how to play and he's really a team guy"
Although he's had a dismal season so far, Hill has the leadership quality and the defensive ability, combined with playoff experience which makes him a very valuable asset for the Cavaliers.
