Realistic Expectations for Cleveland Cavs Rookie Kay Felder in 2016-17

He might be the smallest member of the 2016 NBA draft, but Kay Felder could wind up carving a big role with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 5’9″ point guard out of Oakland University joins the NBA champions as a backup to both All-Star Kyrie Irving and veteran Mo Williams, with minutes now available via the departure of Matthew Dellavedova to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Cleveland paid the Atlanta Hawks $2.4 million for the rights to select Felder 54th overall.

“What happened is the best thing that could happen, because Cleveland had no draft picks and paid over $2 million to get him,” Oakland coach Greg Kampe said, per Lev Facher of USA Today.

“I think he’ll respond great, but I think Cleveland told him he is tall enough. They told me they thought he was a first-round pick, and they didn’t have a pick, but if they did, they would take him.”

Felder’s diminutive size may have kept him out of the first round, but his production certainly didn’t. The junior led all of Division I with 9.3 assists to go along with 24.4 points (fourth in the nation) per game. His 44-inch max vertical helps to make up for his Nate Robinson-like stature, as well.

We’ve already caught a glimpse of what Felder can do on the Cavaliers’ summer league squad. A spot on the Cavs’ regular-season roster is nearly a guarantee, with a chance of becoming Irving’s primary backup not far behind.

Team Fit

Losing Dellavedova is tough blow for Cleveland, which relied on his steady ball-handling and ever-improving three-point shot to give Irving necessary rest.

Felder is not Dellavedova. Not even close. This is both a positive and a negative: Felder represents both a higher ceiling and a lower floor as a reserve floor general. 

The Cavs desperately needed point guard insurance heading into the offseason, given Irving’s and Williams’ recent injury histories. The former played in just 53 games last year while recovering from knee surgery and has failed to top 60 contests during three of his five pro seasons. …

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