National Basketball Association

Cleveland Cavaliers Player Watch: Channing Frye's Milestones to Look For in 2016-17

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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May 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) reacts in the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors in game five of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

With less than a month until the start of the 2016-17 NBA season, here are the milestones to look for Cleveland Cavaliers Channing Frye this year.

Last year was an incredible season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had their ups and downs, from Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert‘s injuries to chemistry issues later on in the regular season and a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.

Despite the rocky road, the Cavs came out on top. They united and prevailed, giving the franchise its first ever NBA championship and giving Cleveland its first major sports title in 52 years.

While last season was a dream for Clevelanders and Cavs fans everywhere, it ended more than three months ago. Now we’re ready for some more basketball and are counting down the days until the 2016-17 NBA season begins.

Fortunately there’s less than a month until the start of the new season. But while we wait, we’re taking a look at all the milestones that various Cavs players can reach this upcoming year. Next up on the list is Channing Frye, the stretch forward that Cleveland traded fan favorite Anderson Varejao for in midseason.

Although the trade was emotional for Cavs fans, it seemed to have been for the best. Frye may not have been the most effective in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors, but he was extraordinarily important up until then. Frye is 33 years old with 10 seasons in the NBA, which means he has quite a few milestones to watch out for.

Mar 18, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) and guard J.R. Smith (5) high five against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Orlando Magic 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

800th Game

Channing Frye started his career back in 2005. He took off the 2012-13 season for health reasons and otherwise has only played one full season with Phoenix in 2013-14. Because of that, Frye averages 72.7 games per season, which is still great at Frye’s age given it’s nearly a full season. Frye has currently played 727 games, so if he can play his career average, he’ll just about reach 800. As the defending champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers will need as much contribution from Frye as they can get.

May 4, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) and Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) go for a loose ball during the second quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

19,000th Minutes Played

Frye has logged some significant minutes over his 10 years in the NBA. He currently has 17,338 minutes played and has an average of 23.8 minutes per game over his career. If he can play his career average of minutes over a career average of 72 games, Frye can get over 1,700 minutes this season alone. That would put him around 19,068, comfortably over the 19,000th minute milestone. With Timofey Mozgov off to the Lakers and Chris ‘Birdman’ Andersen at age 38, whatever minutes Frye can contribute to the team will be valuable.

Mar 18, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) shoots a three pointer over Orlando Magic forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

2,800th Field Goal

As a stretch forward, Frye has a versatile skill set that allows him to spread the floor out. Right now, he has 2,546 field goals and averages 3.5 per game. If he can get that number of shots over a career average of 72 games, Frye can hit around 254 shots. That would put him right at 2,800.

Of those 2,500 current total field goals, 1,705 are two pointers. With Frye’s career average of 2.3 two pointers per game, he can hit a milestone specifically in this area. At 2.3 twos over 72 games, Frye can end up with over 1,870, passing the 1,800th two pointer milestone.

In addition, Frye has worked hard to develop his smooth three point shot. He currently has 841 threes in the books, which means he needs only 59 more to hit 900. Fortunately for him, he averages 1.3 threes, so at that rate over his career average 72 games, Frye should easily be able to hit his 900th three.

Apr 1, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 110-108 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

800th Free Throw

We didn’t see Frye shoot many free throws during the short time he was with the Cavs last season, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get to the stripe. He has shot 784 free throws over his 10 year career and averages 1.1 per game. If he gets 1.1 over his career average of 72 games, that will give him nearly 80 free throws. Adding that to his current total will put him at 863, which is well over the 800th free throw milestone. Perhaps we’ll see him at the free throw line a little more this year.

May 27, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) reaches for a rebound above Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson (24) in game six of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre.The Cavaliers won 113-87. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

3,800th Total Rebound

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Being a stretch forward means that Frye can hit perimeter shots and work the post. So it’s no surprise he has a few milestones coming up in the rebound department. He has over 3,500 total rebounds and averages 4.8 per game. If he grabs 4.8 over his career average of 72 games, Frye can wind up with more than 3,870 rebounds. This puts him comfortably past the 3,800th rebound milestone.

Frye can also hit milestones in defensive and offensive rebounds specifically. He is better on the defensive boards, with 2,811 current defensive rebounds and an average of 3.9 per game. If he grabs that over 72 games, he can wind up with over 3,000 defensive rebounds.

On the other end of the court, Frye averages one offensive rebound per game. He currently has 714, so if he grabs that one rebound over 72 games, it would give him enough to hit the 750 mark.

March 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) controls the ball against Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

800th Assist

This next milestone may seem surprising for Frye being a 6-foot-11 forward/center. It’s not that usual to see bigs with the ability to pass the ball and successfully dish out many assists. But Frye already has 761 assists in the books and averages one per game. If he gets one assists over a career average of 72 games, that would put him at 833 total. This means Frye can reach the 800th assist milestone this season, if all goes according to his averages.

Apr 11, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) blocks the shot of Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) during the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 109-94. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

500th Block

Another part of being a stretch forward is protecting the rim. So it makes sense that Frye, a near-seven-footer, would have an upcoming milestone in blocked shots. After 10 seasons in the NBA, Frye has 485 blocks under his belt. He averages just 0.7 per game, but over 72 games, that would give him around 50 for the season. Adding that to his current total would give him 535 blocks, comfortably passing the 500th block milestone.

June 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (9) shoots as Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34) and forward Draymond Green (23) defend in the second half in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

7,000th Point

It’s clear that Frye’s value comes from his versatility as a player. He is nearly seven feet tall but is a skilled three point shooter. He has the ability to work the block on offense, as well as pull up for smooth jump shots or shoot a pretty perimeter shot. Frye has accumulated 6,717 points over his 10 years in the NBA and scores an average of 9.2 points per game. If he can score that many over his career average of 72 games, Frye can end up with 668 points this season. That would put him at 7,385, well over the 7,000th point milestone.

What do you think Channing Frye will bring to the team this season? Let us know in the comments section or tweet us @KJG_NBA.

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