Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyle Korver Is Finding New Life In The Land

After his trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyle Korver has found new life which could impact the outcome in this year’s NBA Finals

Just a few weeks ago, it seemed as if Kyle Korver was finally starting to slow down. In his 15th NBA season, Atlanta’s marksman looked to have lost his touch, after all these years. Or so we thought.

Let’s first flash back to the 2014-15 season. Korver was coming off a career year, and paced with league by shooting a ridiculous 49 percent from distance. He even made his first All-Star appearance.

But he came crashing back to earth the following season, and his three-point percentage plummeted nearly 10 points, and every other category followed suit, decreasing significantly.

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But it wasn’t Korver’s fault. The quality, or lack thereof, of the team played the biggest role in the demise. The spot-up shooter depends on his teammates more than any other role does, their playmaking ability in particular.

Atlanta won an impressive 60 games in 14-15 as opposed to just 48 the following season. But more importantly, Jeff Teague was a much better playmaker in 14-15.

As per most teams, the point guard was Atlanta’s primary source of distribution. And Teague had averaged over seven dimes per contest for the third consecutive season in 14-15. But for whatever reason, that playmaking slipped significantly the following season, which was directly correlated to Korver’s struggles.

Crashing Down to Earth

So when Teague was shipped off to Indiana, and Atlanta was short on any and all playmaking, it should’ve been expected that the Creighton grad’s production would slip ever further.

And it did. While the disappointing (for him, at least), three-point percentage stayed the same, his contributions in other areas shrunk. A trade was not only justified at this point, but necessary.

And he found the perfect landing spot in Cleveland. Filled with the right mixture of playmaking and scoring, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the perfect spot for Korver to revive his career. A multitude of injuries also allowed him to ease into the rotation.

But things didn’t immediately get off on the right track. He struggled mightily in his first couple of games, despite good looks. This raised concerns as to whether the aforementioned struggles were actually a result of declining ability, rather than declining teammates.

But he’s silenced those doubters ad really come on as of late. Really come on.

The Revival

His coming out party occurred roughly a week before the NBA All-Star break, when he splashed eight three’s on only nine attempts against Indiana, and hasn’t slowed down since (okay, maybe just a little).

But this kind of production should’ve been expected. He’s now playing alongside the best non-guard playmaker ever. (LeBron’s 8.9 assists per game are the most among any non-guard ever). He’s also playing alongside Kyrie Irving, who’s slowly improving his vision and playmaking year-by-year.

But it’s not only Korver that’s benefitting from his teammates. It goes full circle. Korver may be the difference for the Cavs this year in the Finals.

While he’s never actually been to a Finals, he has plenty of experience under his belt, and won’t let the moment get to him. That’s a stark contrast from J.R. Smith, who, apart from being injury prone, loses his head in big games, and often costs his team.

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Korver will provide the smooth hand to relieve whatever tensions Smith potentially causes.

So while the Cleveland Cavaliers may be reviving Kyle Korver’s career, Kyle Korver might just save Cleveland’s season.