Cavs Insider

Caris LeVert Is Becoming Cleveland Cavaliers’ X-Factor

The Cleveland swingman has stepped up in the midst of multiple key injuries with some solid performances off the Cavaliers' bench this month.

Logan Potosky

Caris LeVert Is Becoming Cleveland Cavaliers’ X-Factor
Caris LeVert Is Becoming Cleveland Cavaliers’ X-Factor /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have dealt with multiple injuries to begin this season.

The latest two have sidelined a pair of key bench contributors.

A right ankle sprain has made Ty Jerome miss the Cavaliers’ last seven games, while Isaac Okoro has missed the last three with a left knee injury. 

Per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, Okoro will remain out against the Sacramento Kings tonight.

With these injuries, the Cavaliers have needed someone in their second unit to step up in a big way this month.

Enter Caris LeVert.

In a gritty win over the New York Knicks, LeVert totaled 19 points, a season-high six rebounds, and five assists. Then, a week later, he scored a team-high 29 points, five rebounds and five assists in a tough loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This past Saturday, LeVert had a team-high 22 points, while adding a season-high four steals in a win against the Golden State Warriors.

Nov 11, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) against Golden State Warriors forward Dario Saric (20) during the first quarter at Chase Center / © Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Over the Cavaliers’ last three contests, he is averaging 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.0 steals in 34 minutes per game off the bench.

This past Saturday, Okoro surprised the postgame interview room and asked LeVert about his mindset over the last three games.

He instead praised Okoro’s abilities.

“When you’re missing a key guy like Isaac Okoro, I think everyone has to step up on both sides of the ball. ‘Ice’ is a great player, obviously defensively, but I think he’s very underrated offensively in transition, cutting, knocking down corner threes. So, I think with him out, everyone kind of had to take a step forward, and myself included. So I just try to be that for the team.”

The Cavaliers hope LeVert maintains this consistency against Sacramento tonight, as they seek their fifth win of the season.

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Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

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