The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Cleveland Cavalier Third Quarter Progress Reports

It’s once again time for Cavalier Progress Reports courtesy of Cavs: The Blog! As it always seems to be with the Cavaliers, many changes have taken place over the last month-plus. Gone are Anderson Varejao and Jared Cunningham. In are Channing Frye and Jordan McRae. Under Tyronn Lue, the Cavs have improved offensively while taking a noticeable step back on defense. Fans are a bit frustrated with the team right now, and some are even questioning whether they are the best team in the Eastern Conference. How has each Cavalier performed in the third quarter of the season? Read on and find out!*

Matthew Dellavedova

Dellavedova has returned hamstring issues that cost him a few games before the All-Star break without missing a beat. He’s shot 42% from three during this time, and remains one of the best perimeter defenders on the team. His assist-turnover-ratio has come back to Earth, but is still very good at over two-to-one per game during this stretch. Grade: S+ At 43.8% from three this season, and 40.7% for his career, Dellavedova is one of the better, and most underrated, long-range shooters in the league.

Channing Frye

Frye had been in and out of the rotation since the Cavaliers acquired him from the Orlando Magic, but he’s been terrific whenever he’s gotten a chance. Frye is shooting an amazing 46% from three and posting the best rebound rate of his career during his time with the Cavaliers. While his pick-and-roll defense leaves a bit to be desired, he has done a decent job down low and seems like a terrific fit alongside Tristan Thompson. Grade: F, but not for failure. Frye is looking like the kind of big man who is a perfect fit on offense for the Cavaliers.

Kyrie Irving

Much has been made of Irving’s abilities as a point guard and his ability to help the Cavaliers win. Irving’s assist numbers are down this season, and he undoubtedly has a tendency to dribble the air out of the ball, but let’s hold off shipping him out of town. His ability to play both on and off the ball on offense make Irving a nice fit alongside James, and if Tyronn Lue has done one thing right as a head coach, it’s managing the rotation so that one of them is always on the floor. Irving definitely needs to improve his defense and dominate that ball less, but at just 24 years old—Happy Birthday Kyrie!—time is very much on his side. Grade: R. Kyrie Irving is the right kind of guard to put alongside James.

LeBron James

The Cavaliers may be going through some struggles as a team, but James is doing just fine. He continues to be arguably the most versatile player in the NBA in terms of both statistics and his ability to play multiple positions. Even James has his concerns though. His outside shot remains broken, and his style of leadership often raises questions. No one can doubt the example James sets in terms of work ethic, but his love of drama is a pointless distraction. Grade: G, for Greatness. LeBron may begun to slip a bit, but he’s still far and away the greatest athlete to wear a Cleveland uniform since Jim Brown.

Richard Jefferson

Jefferson was absolute money in February, shooting 58.5% from the floor and 51.9% from three. As hot as he was last month, he’s been that cold in March, as he’s shooting 33.3% from the field and 20% from deep this month. Jefferson is also a minus on defense, and will likely be a borderline member of the playoff rotation whose minutes are based on the matchup. Grade: S. No tricks here. Jefferson’s been a satisfactory backup to LeBron, mostly due to his ability to space the floor, but his iffy defense keeps him from being an impact player.

James Jones

Jones has played in just six games since the beginning of February, averaging a hair over eight minutes per game. A surprise member of the Cavalier’s rotation last year, it’s hard to see history repeating itself in this case. Grade: E, for the end. Jones is an absolute pro, and his leadership and ability to space the floor make having him on the roster worthwhile, but his time as an NBA player will be coming to an end soon.

Sasha Kaun

The good news for Kaun is that he has played in eleven games over the last two months, more than the first three-plus months of his NBA career combined. The bad news is that he’s averaged just 1.8 minutes per game over the last two months as well. The word on Kaun when he came to the Cavaliers was that he is NBA-ready, but so far he hasn’t been able to earn any minutes to prove it. Grade: HVC. Kaun is the Cavaliers’ human victory cigar.

Kevin Love

Love’s shooting struggles are well-documented at this point. He’s shooting just 35% from the floor and 20% from three in March, and it’s obvious from watching him that his confidence has been affected. Many fans have called for Love to be traded, and some feel that Channing Frye and Tristan Thompson are better players. This is simply not true. Frye is—and has always been—a better outside shooter, and Thompson is a better defender, but there’s arguably no player in the league who offers a better combination of passing, rebounding, shooting, and post scoring. Well, maybe that LeBron guy. Grade: M-. Love is an absolute menace on the boards and at the elbow, but with his shot off, he isn’t quite the monster Cavalier fans—perhaps unfairly—expect him to be.

Jordan McRae

The latest young-ish former prospect on the Cavaliers’ radar, McRae holds the D-League’s single-game scoring record with 61 points against the Canton Charge. He seems to be a hard worker and good offensive player, but he needs to prove he can space the floor as he’ll rarely be asked to create off the dribble. McRae also has good length for a shooting guard, and has some potential as a perimeter defender. Grade: J, for Jordan McRae, Jared Cunningham, 0r Joe Harris. We’ll see if the Cavaliers’ newest young J can carve out a real role with the team.

Timofey Mozgov

It’s been two steps forward, two steps back for Mozgov all season. Good games that give hope that he’s turning the corner on his rough season are followed by games that make one question whether he should even see the floor. This trend continues with his individual statistics as well. Mozgov’s field goal percentage has improved as the season has gone on, and he’s now up to a very good 55.4%, two percent above his career average. At the same time, his free throw percentage has plummeted, his rebound rate is his lowest since his rookie season, and his rim protection has actually declined since the start of the season, according to the rankings over at Nylon Calculus. Mozgov isn’t way off his career norms per 100 possessions, but he’s been a negative on the floor after having such a great impact last season. Grade: R. Mozgov may be running out of time to solidify his spot in the playoff rotation.

Iman Shumpert

Meet the backcourt version of Mozgov, a good player whose play has declined just enough for it to make all the difference in the world. Since the All-Star break, Shumpert is shooting just 34% from the field and 25% from three. He continues to try to create off the dribble, with disastrous results, and has been unable to consistently knock down the corner three as well. To make matters worse, his defense has slipped as his frustrations on offense have mounted. Everyone talks about teams attacking Love and Irving on defense in the playoffs, but no one says anything about teams ignoring Shumpert on offense. It very well could happen.  Grade: H. Hopefully Shumpert is both finally healthy, and hungry to prove he can provide the same impact that he did in last season’s playoffs. So far, it’s not looking great.

J.R. Smith

After a scorching-hot start to 2016 in which he shot nearly 44% from three, Smith has cooled down a bit in March, shooting just 34% from deep. Nevertheless, Smith has been a perfect fit as a floor-spacer alongside the Big Three, and has come to play as consistently as any player on the team. Smith doesn’t always make the smart play, but he always plays hard. Grade: M. Johnny Manziel may have had the money sign, but Smith is absolute money from deep.

Tristan Thompson

Death, Taxes, and Tristan Thompson making hustle plays. These are the inevitabilities in the life of a Cavalier fan. Thompson has been consistently good all season, and there’s no reason to expect that to change. Whether he’s cleaning the glass, guarding the pick-and-roll, or finishing at the basket, Thompson knows his job and does it well. Remember the days when it seemed like Thompson got his shot blocked constantly? Gone. Tristan Thompson having a big impact for the Cavaliers? Here every day. Grade: I. The current iron man of the NBA keeps rolling along, and that’s a good thing for the Cavaliers. Thompson’s skillset is obviously limited, but he knows who he is and makes the most out of it.

Mo Williams

Williams has played just eleven games since the new year, five in January, six in February, and none in March. He’s been dealing with injuries, but has gotten several second opinions due to an apparent disagreement with the diagnosis of the Cavaliers’ doctors. Grade: M, for missing. Are we sure that Williams is still on the team? He’s been hurt for awhile now, but he’s rarely even seen on the bench anymore.

And there you have it. The third quarter progress reports for your Cleveland Cavaliers. There’s no doubt that this team is frustrating right now, but there’s also something to be said about keeping things in perspective. Are the Cavs playing up to their potential? No. Is 50-20 still really good? Yes. We’ll wait to release fourth quarter grades after the team’s postseason run is over. Then, and only then, will we know whether the Cavaliers have progressed enough to meet the enormous expectations that have been placed upon them.

*Statistics are from prior to the Cavaliers’ game against the Orlando Magic on March 18.