LOOKING TO STOP LEBRON? TRY THESE SIX PLAYERS OUT
The right free agent signing can help teams match up to the Cavs, says Neil Greenberg.
The NBA has become a twoteam league with the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers rotating championship seasons, and any team hoping to challenge for the crown needs to add key free agents to change the balance of power.
Dethroning the reigning champs won’t be easy — the Warriors have two MVPs in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant plus an all-star supporting cast — but the path through the Eastern Conference could be made a bit simpler by adding a player or two who can provide offensive contributions and the defensive tenacity needed to slow down the human juggernaut that is LeBron James.
It’s with a mind to that last aspect — slowing down James — that we focus on six free agents who can help teams get to the next level.
ANDRE IGUODALA
Iguodala was the primary defender against James 39 times last season and James shot 7-for19 from the floor with four turnovers against Iguodala overall, with a minus-14 net rating during the regular season. In the playoffs, James’ net rating improved from minus-13.6 to plus-13.2 without Iguodala on the court.
He can score in transition (1.22 points per possessions, top 25 per cent of the NBA), spot-up opponents (53.8 effective field goal percentage) and is lethal near the basket (1.45 points per possession, top five per cent), giving a team everything it needs to dethrone the kings of the East.
PAUL MILLSAP
Millsap is a four-time NBA allstar and led the Atlanta Hawks in scoring (19.1 per game, career high) last season, adding 8.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He can produce points in the post and stretch the defence with his jump shot off the dribble, hitting 31.1 per cent of his attempts from behind the three-point line.
James had a minus-2.5 net rating against Millsap in 201617, with his effective field goal percentage dropping from 70.7 to 57.8 per cent against Atlanta with Millsap on the court.
P. J. TUCKER
The Toronto Raptors acquired Tucker from the Phoenix Suns specifically to go toe-to-toe with James and the wing defender didn’t disappoint. According to data provided by SportVU analyst Brittni Donaldson, James scored 12 points in 11 possessions with Tucker as the primary defender, with just two baskets coming in isolation — a staple of James’ offence. The six-footsix wing also spent some time at power forward, prompting Raptors coach Dwane Casey to use him frequently at the end of games (8.8 minutes per game in the fourth quarter, his highest workload of any period). Tucker shot 41.3 per cent from the field with some range (35.7 per cent behind the arc) and could help any team looking to add another spot-up shooter out of the pickand-roll to their offence — he was 24-for-47 in these situations during the regular season and playoffs, good enough to put him in the top 10 per cent of the league.
LUC MBAH A MOUTE
Mbah a Moute spent most of his time at small forward for the Los Angeles Clippers but saw minutes at power forward as well, often getting his hands in passing lanes (1.9 deflections per game) and contesting shots (6.7 per game).
Jump shooters converted just 33.9 per cent off the dribble against him while finding it hard to be successful around the rim (43.2 per cent). James struggles to get anything done offensively with Mbah a Moute as the primary defender, scoring just eight points on 11 possessions during the two games they faced each other in 2016-17, the lowest points per possession among any defender with at least 10 possessions against this season.
PATRICK PATTERSON
The quintessential stretch four, Patterson shot over 37 per cent from behind the threepoint line in his four seasons in Toronto with the ability to spot up opponents or roll to the rim during the pick-and-roll.
Defensively he allowed 0.83 points per possession last season, placing him in the top 15 per cent of the league, performing even better in isolation (0.73 points allowed per possession) and as the big defender against the pick and roll (0.66 points allowed per possession). James also had little luck finding an opening against the 6-foot-9 power forward, scoring just eight points on 11 possessions in six games in the regular season and playoffs combined.
DANTE CUNNINGHAM
Drafted out of the second round by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2009, Cunningham has spent time with the Charlotte Bobcats, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans. But this last season was his best thanks to significant improvement behind the three-point line.
Cunningham hit 31.6 and 39.2 per cent of his shots from behind the arc in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Cunningham also held the opposition to a 47.8 field goal rate against around the basket and 40.4 per cent in the post. James scored 27 points over 28 possessions against Cunningham during the regular season, less than he scored against the rest of the NBA (1.06), with James sporting a minus-1.3 net rating over the 30 minutes they shared the court.