Cleveland Cavaliers: Biggest strengths and weaknesses for 2017-18

Strength No. 2: Bench should produce a lot more for James

One of the biggest eyesores for the Cleveland Cavaliers was their second unit.

There was a demand for LeBron James to get a backup point guard all last season. The signing of Derrick Rose should put all of that to rest for James this season, and then some.

Rose wasn’t the most sought-after free agents this summer, but he still was productive in his eighth season in the NBA. He put up 18.0 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game for the New York Knicks in 2016-17.

For the style of basketball Cleveland plays, Rose serves as a solid slasher who has the ability to drive-and-kick when needed. His 4.4 assists would have ranked third on the Cavaliers’ roster behind Irving and James last season.

The load for James should be a whole lot less to bear, particularly offensively in 2017-18. He played a team-high 37.8 minutes per game last season.

With Crowder and Green now on the roster, James has solid backups in the rotation he can rely on even if briefly to get rest. Veteran Richard Jefferson is still on the roster too, but with Zizic and Osman around, there’s potential for those to produce as well. Either way, that second unit should be a bit more reliable this time around.