Shorthanded vs Celtics preview

 Replacing NBA production with G-Leaguers is never going to be smooth, you absolutely have to give up something in the process. So what do these new guys bring and what are they lacking?

Luke Kornet:  

Actual NBA skill: Shot blocking.  Jarrett Allen blocks 2.5 shots per 100 for his career against 2.8 fouls.  Luke Kornet has blocked 2.8 against 3.4 in his 2,000 NBA minutes.  As a gangly 7 footer he does a decent job of maintaining position and contesting without fouling.  

Limiting factor keeping him out of the NBA:  Rebounding.  His 15% Dreb% is woefully inadequate for a 7 ft center in the NBA, well behind (average positional rebounder) Lauri Markkanen’s 22%, and Lauri has spent most of his career at the 4, not the 5.  This extends to his time in the G-League where he only managed a 19% Dreb rate.  

Potential NBA skill:  Stretch Big.  On 400+ 3pt attempts he is shooting a hair under 33% in the NBA.  This is keeping him out of the league.  In the G-League he is shooting 43% across 300 attempts, if he managed to shoot his average between the two leagues (37%) he would be a pretty solid bench option for a stretch big.  He has embraced this role as he takes more 3pta per 100 (10.6) than Lauri does (10.1).

Potential lineups for the Cavs:  Kornet needs help rebounding and is a poor screener for a big man.  This makes pairing his minutes with Love the best case outcome, with Love being a plus at both of those skills.  With Love and Kornet there is no real roll man threat which works better with Rubio who looks for 3 pt shooters more than with Garland, though both obviously will be playing heavy mins if this game is remotely close with the thin roster.  

Justin Anderson:  

Actual NBA Skills:  Anderson’s steal, block and rebounding rates are good for a small forward.

Limiting factors:  Everything else.  Not much on ball work, no physicality to draw free throws and poor shooting make him an afterthought on offense.

Potential NBA role:  3&d wing.  Anderson shot >35% on 600+ 3pta across college and the G-League but has been unable to get his legs under him in his 3,000 NBA minutes hitting under 30% of his almost 500 attempts.  His decent length (6’6 with a 6’11 wingspan), high end athleticism ( 38” standing vert, 43” max, solid mobility numbers) and hope that his 45% from 3 on 100 attempts as a junior meant more than his 30% on 160 attempts the previous two years he was the 21st selection in the 2015 draft.  

In tonight’s game against Boston the Cavs will have 6 NBA caliber players available, plus Pangos.  With Mobley, Allen and Davis missing Kornet would be the better bet to get floor time, though they might well both be out there.  Kornet could well get the start to ensure that Love is there to anchor the bench units, and the Cavs have committed to keeping Kevin’s mins down this year even when he is playing well with him not breaking 24 total for a game.  Pushing him to 30 when short-handed would be a shortsighted move that I would think the Cavs want to avoid.  This would likely mean a starting lineup of Garland, Rubio, Wade, Lauri and Kornet, with Love and Cedi off the bench and Pangos/Anderson getting the remainder of the time.  

One interesting note is how starkly different the Cavs decisions on 10 day contracts has been compared to Boston.  Boston signed two long time NBA veterans who have been out of the league for years while the Cavs signed fringe NBA players who are still in their 20s.  

The Celtics have Tatum, Brown and Smart available tonight which certainly looks to put them at an advantage and while their depth has been hammered it is hard to predict a team down its starting C, PF, SG and multiple bench pieces beating one with a pair of stars available.