What Timofey Mozgov Means To The Cavaliers

In this corner, standing seven feet tall, weighing 250 pounds, The Russian Giant, Timofey Mozgov! I'm going to preface this saying I am a huge believer that Timofey Mozgov was the missing piece for the flailing Cavaliers. Since picking Mozgov up on January 7th, Cleveland is 13-4, good for the third best record in the NBA over that time. There are definitely reasons beyond the Mozgov that the Cavs are doing so well during this time. You could point to the recent acquisitions of  J.R Smith and Iman Shumpert to patch up the lack of depth and reliable wing players, or you could point to Lebron's monster month of January with 29.9 / 6.2 / 6.3. But one thing is clear, these Cavaliers are becoming the team we thought they would be in October.

Timofey Mozgov adds some much needed rim defense on this cavaliers squad. Previously running with a rag tag group of Tristan Thompson, Brendan Haywood, The Ghost of Christmas Past, and Kevin Love at center, the Cavaliers were one of the worst teams at defending the rim. With Mozgov on the roster, you can tell that they are a much better defensive team from they eye test alone, but the numbers also back it up. The Cavaliers in their last 10 games are a whole 4 points better in defensive rating, and are second in the league in net rating, trailing only the Golden State Warriors. One reason for this is with Mozgov on the floor, Kevin Love can play a lot more of his natural position at power forward. This somewhat hides his terrible defense, and since Mozgov is such a plus defender, the Cavaliers can funnel their defense towards him allowing Kyrie, Iman, Lebron, and other wing defenders to take more gambles. It's reminiscent of the Roy Hibbert effect in Indiana. The whole team gets exponentially better on when you add an elite rim protector.

On offense Timofey doesn't mean much. Most of his use is in a Deandre Jordan-esque roll of getting put backs, and his offensive skills lack polish. That doesn't matter though, the Cavaliers have the third best offensive rating in the league. He doesn't need to be an offensive player.

I am all aboard this resurgent Cleveland bandwagon. Their offense looks dynamic, their defense looks less amoebic now, and any given day one of three superstars on the roster can take over (look to Kyrie Irving's 55 point outburst earlier this year). Timofey adds a toughness to the team that was obviously lacking. I think that the two first round picks they gave up for his are well warranted. It's the kind of move that one might gloss over, but this move may very well be responsible for the Cavaliers first ever title.