5 ripple effects of the Kyle Korver trade to Cleveland Cavaliers
1. The Cavaliers Just Got That Much Tougher For The Warriors
No offense meant to the San Antonio Spurs or Houston Rockets fans out there, but if the season were to end today, nobody would be picking them to win a seven-game series over the Golden State Warriors. The Dubs have the best offense, record and point differential in the NBA, not to mention a top-five defense and four of the best 20 players in the NBA.
After watching Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson meet their kryptonite in the most epic Finals collapse in NBA history, and then watching them face those same demons in a Christmas Day loss, it’s safe to say the Cavaliers currently have the mental edge.
Adding Kevin Durant will obviously make a huge difference come playoff time, but Cleveland actually has the edge in depth this time around. Along with the bonus of being able to play LeBron James 40+ minutes a night in a potential Finals rematch, the Kyle Korver addition makes Cleveland that much more challenging to defend.
Kyle Korver leads the NBA with an eFG% of 84% on spot up jump shots in the half court this season.
— Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) January 6, 2017
Korver would be expected to struggle on the defensive end in a series against an offensive powerhouse like Golden State, but we said the same thing about Kevin Love…right up until the biggest play of his career — “The Stop” in Game 7 — on Steph Curry.
The Cavs have actually been the more potent three-point shooting team this season, just like they were throughout their playoff run last year. The Dubs don’t have anyone who can keep LeBron in front of them in a one-on-one scenario, and with so many shooters flanking him on the perimeter, Golden State will have to pick its poison with double teams, especially when Korver is on the floor.
This is one of the best set shooters in the modern NBA era we’re talking about here. Cleveland is sure to run him off plenty of screens a la Ray Allen, and we all remember the last time King James played alongside a spot-up threat like him.
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A core of Curry, KD, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green is as good as any in the NBA, and it would be a disappointment for that group to fall short of an NBA title. But with LeBron and Cleveland’s depth holding an important edge, the Cleveland Cavaliers just moved that much closer to another Finals upset and another NBA championship.