We examine the lottery teams with the deepest benches.
Dallas Mavericks: Despite the disappointing season, the Mavericks had one of the deepest benches in the NBA. The Mavericks bench was one of the leading scoring benches in the NBA, and leading the charge off the bench was the team’s third leading scorer Vince Carter (13.4 PPG). Dallas also has an array of big men who come off the pine such as Brandan Wright, Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert. Once Shane Larkin gets healthy he’ll be a great backup PG right from the get-go. Mike James, Rodrigue Beaubois and Jae Crowder are all also solid reserve players who can make an impact off the pine.
Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavaliers really bolstered their bench this offseason. They signed Jarrett Jack and Earl Clark who will both immediately contribute off the bench and selected Anthony Bennett first overall who will likely start off on the bench. Additionally, the Cavaliers have C.J. Miles (11.2 PPG) and Tyler Zeller (7.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG) who are very solid contributors. Other 2013 draft picks such as Sergey Karasev and Carrick Felix will also be asked to provide solid production off the bench early in their respective careers.
Portland Trail Blazers: Portland’s most gaping weakness last year was their poor bench, however this offseason they turned that into a strength. Rookie C.J. McCollum could be one of the best sixth men in the NBA this year with his deadly scoring abilities. Portland also acquired solid players in Mo Williams, Thomas Robinson and Robin Lopez. The acquisition of Lopez will more than likely leave Meyers Leonard on the bench who, with more development, could be a strength in a reserve role. Rookie Allen Crabbe possesses deadly three point shooting abilities and because of that he should be able to make a large impact as a rookie.
Washington Wizards: When you look at the Wizards roster one of the first thinks you’ll notice is how much depth they have on the wing, particularly at the SF position. After drafting Otto Porter Jr. third overall (who’s expected to start), the Wizards will now have Martell Webster, Trevor Ariza, Chris Singleton and Jan Vesely on the bench behind him competing for minutes. Webster and Ariza both are really solid players who are still relatively young and will provide great service off the pine. Another player the Wizards are really high on is Glen Rice Jr., who they took early in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft. He’ll be expected to make an impact early off the bench as Washington lacks ideal depth at guard.
Toronto Raptors: The Raptors are another team who really improved their bench this offseason despite not even having any draft picks. They possibly landed a steal in D.J. Augustin, who I think can be a very solid backup PG. Toronto also signed Tyler Hansbrough who’s one of the toughest players in the league. He and Amir Johnson will more than likely be competing for the starting PF spot and the loser of this race will still make for a great backup. In addition, the Raptors traded for Steve Novak who can come off the bench and change games with his deadly three point shooting abilities. And let’s not forget Terrence Ross, who still possesses a ton of upside. Look for him to make a big jump this year; he’s a great backup SG to DeMar Derozan and is an electrifying player.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
