The Liggins Factor

The Cavs have been searching all season for someone to bring the defensive spark and energy they have been lacking since the offseason sign-and-trade of Matthew Dellavedova. They may have found the answer in another former D-Leaguer, DeAndre Liggins who recently had to step into a more prominent role because of an injury to JR Smith.  He went from barely playing at all to starting for a couple of games while Smith was out.

In the game where Smith got hurt and the two games that followed, Liggins averaged almost 23 minutes per game and shot 5 of 7 from the field for 16 points.  Those aren’t incredible offensive numbers, but that is not really the role Liggins was meant to fill.  What Liggins brings to the table is great defensive effort and intensity and the size and athleticism to guard long wing players.  He won the D-League Defensive Player of the Year Award two times in the past three seasons.

When the Cavs came into the game with Toronto last week, they were in the midst of a three-game losing streak where they were playing with little energy and were really lousy on defense.  During the losing streak, the Cavs were giving up 114 points per game.  In the games that Liggins started, they gave up an average of less than 90 points per game.

As the season goes on, if the Cavs can continue to work Liggins into the rotation and develop him, he could be a vital rotation player in a playoff run.  Liggins is such a good fit because he can fill a role without demanding or dominating the ball on offense.  On a team with so many players on the Cavs who need the ball and have to score to impact the game, Liggins is just the kind of selfless player the Cavs need in their rotation. He has been pretty efficient on the offensive end when he does have a chance to contribute.

Thinking ahead, Liggins could be very valuable if the Cavs end up in an NBA Finals rematch with the Golden State Warriors.  Liggins may actually end up being more valuable than Matthew Dellavedova, whose value was playing with a lot of energy and hustle and harassing Steph Curry whenever he was in the game.

Liggins is actually a more efficient scorer than Dellavedova, and his length and defensive intensity could make him very valuable in guarding guys like Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala.  He would also match up well with Shaun Livingston who had some big moments knocking down jump shots over much smaller defenders in last year’s Finals.

The one aspect of the game Liggins lacks is the fact that he is a true point guard who could run the second unit.  Liggins does not have the true point guard skill set that Dellavedova had and cannot facilitate the offense with the second unit.

While I still feel like the Cavs probably need a true backup point guard, they may have found a key piece of the puzzle in DeAndre Liggins. In the end, he may need to play a prominent role if the Cavs want to repeat.