For a team that is dealing with injuries like the Cleveland Cavaliers, the development of young role players is crucial to the team’s success heading into what could be the team’s first playoff berth since the 2017-18 season.
While the team lost 118-114 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, some of those young players stood out and can carve out their role in Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation.
When the team saw a 14-4 deficit with 7:30 left in the first quarter, Bickerstaff turned to Cavaliers wing Dylan Windler as the first man off the bench. He was shortly joined by young scoring guard Brandon Goodwin and new athletic center Moses Brown.
To say that all three provided a spark of energy for the Cavaliers lineup is an understatement, leading the team back to a 30-23 deficit after the first quarter.
“I thought they picked the tempo up,” Bickerstaff said of the bench’s energy and overall spark to the team following the loss. “I thought Moses did a phenomenal job of running the floor, setting screens, and rolling hard. [Brandon Goodwin] was pushing the ball and getting into the paint creating for other people. Kevin [Love] was obviously making shots. I thought they did a really good job of, instead of being on our heels, I thought they started attacking and hitting first. We got positive results we let them ride.”
For Goodwin, he continues to not only showcase his ability to get to the basket but also his ability to create for others, averaging 4.1 assists per game after the All-Star break. Since being signed to a 10-day contract on New Year’s Eve, Goodwin has steadily improved, carving a role from Bickerstaff.
Moses parts the Red, White, and Blue sea
Another standout young player via 10-day contract is Moses Brown, who wasted little time showcasing exactly why the Cavaliers went after his services once All-Star Jarrett Allen went down with an injury on March 6th against the Toronto Raptors.
“You see what he's capable of, but he's playing hard,” Bickerstaff said of Brown and the decision to bring him into Cleveland. “He understands this is what he has to do to make it. He wants to be here. He's proven that he can.”
The 7'2" center out of UCLA averaged 8.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 21.4 minutes per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2020-21 season.
Brown, 22, was able to frustrate NBA MVP contender Joel Embiid on multiple occasions and give some life off the bench that was lacking since the Allen injury. His contract is set to expire on March 20. Don’t be surprised if he gets more minutes in addition to another 10-day contract while Allen heals.
Young Breeze
For Cavaliers’ 2019 first-round pick Dylan Windler, the NBA has been a winding road that has been tumultuous thus far, dealing with injuries, lack of playing time, and struggling to find a rhythm.
Since returning to the team following a couple of stints with the team’s G-League affiliate, Cleveland Charge, Windler has been making all the right plays, even if they don’t always show up on the stat sheet.
“He's trying to help us win basketball games,” Bickerstaff said of Windler and his effort plays on the court. “He does a great job of making those extra effort plays when there's deflections, offensive rebounding, and defensive rebounding. You know, whatever it takes. He's just trying to help us win. And he's trying to be that spark. I think he's doing a great job.”
Windler, 25, averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds in ten games with the Charge this season and focused more on his aggressiveness with and without the ball. Getting those minutes to work on his game have started to pay off for the young Cavalier wing.
As every playoff run has shown, many crucial games or possessions in the NBA playoffs are decided by contributions from the bench and role players. For Bickerstaff and the Cavaliers, they could already have some of those players ready and waiting.
