Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 keys to contending in 2017-18
By Drew Zlogar
1. Thomas Joins Quickly
Isaiah Thomas has a hip issue. That has been addressed and is the elephant in the room for the Cavaliers heading into training camp. When will they get to have their new All-Star point guard on the floor to help James lead the charge?
Cleveland won’t make a big deal out of it publicly, but it will be doing everything and anything to get Thomas out on the court as quickly as possible. Many people have criticized different parts of his game, and that he is a matchup problem on the defensive end, but there is something that Thomas does well, among the league’s best: score the ball.
The bigger point here is how Thomas can score the ball. He is great at being off the ball, getting open different ways, and making things happen when he doesn’t have the ball, which will be new for LeBron to work with.
Kyrie Irving is one of the best (if not the best) finishing point guard in the league, but does most of his damage taking a defender all the way to the rack for the possession. Often times you saw the ball get swung to Irving, and then everyone clear out. Well, with Thomas here (once he gets healthy), his 28.9 points per game will come in a variety of ways.
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As a Cleveland fan, when you get over the bitterness of losing Kyrie, if you look at the fit, Isaiah Thomas might be able to fit in perfectly to where this new-look Cavaliers team wants to go in 2017-18. He just has to get back on the court in time to develop chemistry for the postseason first.