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Cleveland Cavaliers: What Is To Be Expected of Kay Felder?

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

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The Cleveland Cavaliers may have gotten the steal of the late stages of the second round of this year’s draft in Kay Felder. So just who is he and what is expected of him?

The Cleveland Cavaliers were without a second-round pick in this year’s NBA draft, but they didn’t let that stop them from getting their man, Kay Felder. The Atlanta Hawks selected him with the 54th pick and the Cavs paid the Hawks $2.4 million in cash for his rights.

The Cavaliers didn’t waste much time in signing Felder to a three-year contract worth about $2.5 million, with $1 million guaranteed.

Just why would the Cavs go so far out of their way to acquire Felder? After all, the rookie is just 5’9″, weighing 180 pounds.

As it happens, Felder possesses strength that belies his diminutive stature. At 180 pounds, he doesn’t give up much weight advantage to taller point guards. As a result, they can go over the top on him, but he’s not likely to get posted up by many 1-guards.

Mind you, his defense isn’t the primary reason the Cleveland Cavaliers had interest in Felder. At 5’9″, his defense will likely never be his strongest attribute. Rather, he’s a dynamic scorer and playmaker.

Felder led the NCAA in assists last season with Oakland University, just outside his native Detroit. He averaged 9.3 assists per game, about a full assist ahead of his next closest competitor.

Not only did he initiate offense effectively and put up the top assist numbers in the nation, but he did this while averaging 24.4 points per game on shooting splits of .440/.355/.848.

Felder is absolutely deadly in transition and has a great finishing touch around the rim. His handle is effective and he has tremendous dribble moves and can get around defenders. At least at the collegiate level, he didn’t need a screen to get into the paint in the halfcourt.

While for most players a height of 5’9″ might be an impediment to their ability to get off their shot, Felder possesses a very quick release and is able to create space from defenders with the dribble.

In addition, he possesses absolutely freakish athleticism and recorded the second-highest max vertical in combine history at 44 inches.

So now that we know a bit more about Felder, what can the Cleveland Cavaliers expect from the 21-year-old rookie?

Without a doubt, the Cavs need depth at point guard. Kyrie Irving has never played more than 75 games in a season and in three of his five seasons, he’s played 59 or fewer games.

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Mo Williams is Felder’s sole competitor for the backup point guard spot, and he played just 41 games last season in relief tandem with Matthew Dellavedova.

Delly is now with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Williams will be 34 a month into the season and has been playing with knee pain for some time.

The Cavaliers will have the benefit of being so much better than everybody else in the Eastern Conference that they can afford the luxury of giving Felder time to acclimate to the NBA game.

Nobody is under the illusion that Felder will be able to run over, through and around defenses like he did at Oakland, but he’s a physical specimen. He is such a potentially dangerous weapon that he isn’t like any other second round pick in this past draft.

If he can put it together and learns how to utilize his gifts at the next level, the Cavaliers may find they have an embarrassment of riches at the point guard position.

Whether from injury or mere rest, Irving and Williams are sure to miss some time this season. When that inevitably happens, Felder will have the opportunity to step up and run things on offense in partnership with LeBron James.

That’s not a bad position for a young talented player like Kay Felder to be able to learn the NBA game.

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