CLEVELAND — The G League matters more for team building than ever. Look no further than the Cleveland Cavaliers roster for proof.
Seven of the 14 players on standard deals for the Cavs have spent time in the G League. That number should jump to eight, with Khalifa Diop expecting to play with the Cleveland Charge some this year as well. Diop’s inclusion would mean that over half the roster has spent time in the G League.
This is a change from where things were over a decade ago. The reasons for that
are layered. Investment in the league, along with changes to the salary cap and the style of play, has all contributed to this.
“In the world of aprons and salary cap and all this, what better way to cultivate the next wave of people that can help fit into [an NBA] environment than this?” Charge head coach Eli Kell-Abrams said.
The Cavs have invested in the Charge over the last several seasons. The move from Canton to Cleveland has allowed them to use the Cavs’ training facility. More recently, switching their home games to Cleveland Public Auditorium, along with refitting the building for basketball, speaks to the organization’s commitment to the G League.
“We want the development to be in-house,” Charge general manager Liron Fanan said. “The type of players that you now take on your G League team, you really take into consideration what Kenny [Atkinson] and his staff are looking for. What kind of player are they on and off the court? How can he fit our culture of the Cavs and what we’re looking for? It’s mainly guys that are willing to accept a role, willing to compete every day, work hard, put their head down, and be ready.”
The Charge are looking to identify and develop role players who can specifically fit alongside the Cavs’ core group. There are two skills that the Charge are looking to cultivate, knowing that they will translate to the next level.
“They’re going to have to be defensively minded, and also able to make shots when you stand in the corner because you’re not going to have the ball in your hands,” Fanan said. “You’re going to be that guy that comes off the bench for five minutes and tries to impact the game in those minutes. So, how ready are you? What’s your mentality? The toughness and the willingness to just take a role. Those are the skills that we look at.”
The Charge are trying to refine those skills with their two-way players. Riley Minix has proven to be a good shooter — Summer League notwithstanding — but shooting alone isn’t going to allow him to become a rotation player. “He needs to get better [defensively],” Fanan said. “Can he really defend and switch at the NBA level? We saw a little bit of that, and we’re seeing improvement. I think there needs to be a big jump this year.”
Rookie two-way center Ernest Udeh Jr. has the potential to develop into a useful backup center. The Cavs like the motor, but there’s a learning curve for bigs transitioning from college to the pros.
“He always plays hard, now for us, it’s to get him better at understanding spacing,” Fanan said. “Understanding guarding outside the perimeter, working with his hands better.”
Success in the G League is different than the NBA. The Charge want to win games, but their goal is to ensure they’re developing talent that can be used by the Cavs and other NBA teams. For them to continue doing that, they want to continue cultivating a culture that makes that possible.
“We’re in a league that is sometimes not about the right stuff,” Kell-Abrams said. “We want to be the group that relies on each other, that is about everybody else’s success. That passed the ball in a league that doesn’t.”
The Charge open their season at home on Tuesday night against the Motor City Cruise.
