Cleveland Cavaliers: 4 reasons why consistent play from role players is needed

Green and Hood have been disappointing

This brings up the absence of Irving. He had the ability to create his own shot which is one of the most important traits that any player can have, especially in the playoffs.

Irving could draw several defenders at once which opened up shooters and driving lanes for others who could not create their own shots. The difference between having a shot creating ball handler like Irving and having Hill/Clarkson/Calderon is colossal.

In the end, the lack of a true threat at point guard ends up putting twice the weight on LeBron’s shoulders. Good thing LeBron doubles as one of the best point guards in the league on his own anyway.

Clarkson has made strides in shaking off his dip in production since the playoffs began though. He contributed 12 points off the bench which set off a great effort from the whole bench collectively to bring in a crucial Game 4 win. Hill has missed some time this series due to injury.

The additions of Jeff Green and Rodney Hood to the roster have been hit or miss. Both have struggled mightily in this series and have hurt the team badly.

There was high expectations for Hood as he was a very solid contributor from the Utah Jazz. He was initially part of the starting lineup but has since been demoted to the bench due to major lack of production in favor of Korver.

Green was also pulled from the starting lineup following a miserably awful performance in Game 1 consisting of 0-7 from the field. He barely shot 30% from the field throughout the first three games. He has picked it up a bit in the last few games efficiency-wise but has still been relatively quiet.