Matthew Dellavedova’s start to the NBA season has been exceptional for a third-string point guard.
With Mo Williams returning to the Cavaliers to cover for Kyrie Irving, who continues to recover from playoff-ending knee surgery, most expected the Australian to play as a back-up this campaign.
And that’s what transpired in the early stages of the season with Williams logging the bigger chunk of time on the court as a starter. In 13 games, Delly has only started twice, both while Williams has been injured with an ankle inflammation.
The two could hardly be more different.
Dellavedova offers the ‘three-and-D’ role, carving out an identity as a pest defender and agitator, but he has really improved his passing and court vision to become more of a complete player. He put up a personal record of 13 assists against the Milwaukee Bucks just a game ago and grabbed another nine against the easily beaten Orlando Magic.
On a one-year contract earning a budget US$1.2 million, Dellavedova is also a plus-minus brute, with his points-for behind only LeBron James in the entire Eastern Conference (and, ahem, half the Golden State Warriors list).
Williams, on the other hand, is a shoot-first point guard who has the ability to rack up strong points for his team, but when he’s cold he’s not as strong on defence. It’s not a big knock on Williams, who is far better at creating his own shot and will contribute more points on most nights, but he is less likely to involve scorers LeBron, Kevin Love, and JR Smith.
Williams is clearly a better offensive weapon, but given the Cavaliers’ flow, would he be better suited coming off the bench for the Cavaliers? That would free him up to shoot more with the second unit, with the added bonus of rebound weapon Tristan Thompson cleaning up defensive lapses also on the court.
The improvement of Dellavedova has been noticeable, with him benefitting from the Cavaliers’ Finals run as much as any other Cleveland player. He’s more confident on the ball, more capable of finding a free man for a three-point shot and has managed to keep a lid on turnovers when given more minutes – in fact, he’s the assist/turnover leader in the NBA at this time – some 68 spots ahead of Steph Curry.
He’s still tentative at getting to the basket and creating his own shot, but has been playing his role with aplomb.
The fact is that the jostle to start won’t matter when Irving returns, who will offer the Cavaliers a huge boost to the rest of the season. But Dellavedova may be able to become established as the second-unit point guard off the bench, relegating Williams to third pick.
That’s just the kind of problem coach David Blatt won’t mind having.
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