We’ve discussed this so many times this season when it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers. With injuries to Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson forcing those players to 56 and 36 out of 77 possible games (per NBA.com), along with reported ailments to David Nwaba and others, the Cavs have been forced to line up players out of position far too often.
That’s a key reason why their defense has been the worst in league history, based on defensive rating, according to Basketball Reference.
Nwaba, who is only 6-foot-4, has lined up at the 3 position 69 percent of his minutes on the floor this season (per Basketball Reference), and to his credit, has done a solid job, especially on the defensive end, as he has the best net rating of Cleveland’s regular rotation players this year.