NBA: 30 players who should be coaches someday: 30. Matthew Dellavedova
Armed with top-10 picks in 2018 and 2019, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a score-first point guard each time. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland thus pair to make a small backcourt with both players focused on getting their own.
What the two young guards needed was a veteran presence to take them under his wing and show them how to surround their natural talent with skill, hustle and the connective plays that elevate a team instead of hijacking it. Enter Matthew Dellavedova, who learned alongside one of the best in LeBron James and is passing on his knowledge and unique style of play to the next generation.
“Delly” is not an elite play creator on-ball, but he has mastered off-ball play alongside a ball-dominant star. Acting quickly and decisively, moving without the ball to manipulate the defense, and giving your all on defense to stay on the court. Those traits he has proven willing to pass along to Sexton and Garland as a “coach on the bench” for the Cavaliers.
His affable nature helps him approach and connect with young players, while his experience and understanding of the game give him plenty to pass on. Whether it is in the NBA or overseas, Dellavedova is on track to be a coach once his playing career has come to a close.