Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Utah Jazz player grades

Here are the player grades for the Cleveland Cavaliers win over the Utah Jazz:

CEDI OSMAN: A+

Osman had his best game as a Cavalier. His 10 points on 4-5 shooting in a career-high 22 minutes were incredibly timely. Plus, he created extra possessions with three offensive rebounds and a final-minute steal on Donovan Mitchell. He’s still raw, but it’s clear that Osman is an NBA player and it’s very exciting.

LeBron James: A+

This was another ho-hum performance from LeBron. 29 points on 9-15 shooting, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. His left handed alley-oop dunk in the first half shouldn’t be possible, but so little of what he does feels possible.

Jae Crowder: A

The first half was one of the best performances of the year from Crowder. He scored 9 points on 4-5 shooting and benefited from the strong ball movement the team was playing with. He wasn’t rewarded with many minutes in the second half, as the play of Jeff Green, Kyle Korver, and Osman kept him on the bench. But it would have been nice to see him get more burn, given how well he played.

Jeff Green: A

Another great performance from Green, as he showed off his range with 3-3 shooting from deep. His shoulder injury is a little concerning, but it didn’t appear to be too serious.

Tristan Thompson: A-

You could tell Thompson is still a little restricted physically, but it was nice to see a few glimpses of his old self. Two dunks off of lobs, a block, a steal, and two rebounds in his seven minutes.

Kyle Korver: A-

I’m feeling generous with the A’s tonight. But there are few things more enjoyable than the momentum-shifting shots Korver can hit. He requires so little space and is such a valuable contributor to this team.

Kevin Love: B+

Love was a little thrown-off by not being rewarded with calls in this one. He was often held and didn’t always respond well to how Utah was playing with him. He was still productive, but never was truly able to get going.

Jose Calderon: B

Calderon hit 3-6 shots, didn’t turn the ball over and had 4 assists. It’s the type of solid performance we’ve learned to expect from him.

Dwyane Wade: C+

Not the best shooting night for Wade, but he had a few highlight moments and did a good job running the second unit.

Channing Frye: C+

Quiet night for Frye, as he put up two points in just fivef minutes of play. Other guys were rolling, so it was understandable why he wouldn’t get too much playing time.

J.R. Smith: D+

I’m not sure why Smith received 35 minutes on a night where so many players were playing well. His defense on Donovan Mitchell was good early on, but disastrous in the second half. He also struggled with his jumper, going just 1-6 on the night.