The Cavaliers are operating like a team that knows the back end of the roster has to be handled carefully, and that’s why a cheap camp invite is firmly on the table. With Cleveland expected to shop the bargain bin for its final spots, John Konchar suddenly looks like one of the more practical names still available.
Konchar was just waived and stretched by the Minnesota Timberwolves only hours after being acquired in a deal that also included former 10th overall pick Cody Williams. He’s another wing listed below 6-foot-6, but for a team with bench depth concerns, that kind of size isn’t automatically a dealbreaker if the player brings something useful. In Konchar’s case, the argument is simple: he can make life annoying for opponents.
He’s not the type of perimeter stopper who shuts people down in isolation. That’s not his game.
What he does bring is disruption. The Chicago native has ranked in the 70th percentile or better in block percentage in six of his seven professional seasons, and three of those seasons landed in the 91st percentile or higher.
The sample with the Utah Jazz was small, but it still backed up the profile. In 26 appearances, Konchar posted a 1.7% block percentage and averaged 1.0 block per game.
His 25 blocks during that stretch were fourth among players 6-7 or shorter. The film, as the source material notes, shows a player with sharp instincts and a real knack for stripping drivers on the interior.
He also showed up in the passing lanes. Konchar ranked in the 96th percentile in Passing Lane Defense and the 95th percentile in Pickpocket Rating during the season, production that helped fuel a 3.0% steal rate with Memphis and an even better 3.1% with the Jazz.
Among players in his position group, only Matisse Thybulle and Detriot’s Ausar Thompson were better in that category. When your defensive impact puts you in that company, you’re doing something right.
Rebounding is another part of the appeal. Konchar has been a strong board man for his size and position, finishing in the 93rd percentile or higher in offensive rebounding percentage in four of his seven seasons and in the 80th percentile or higher in defensive rebounding percentage in every pro season.
He helps his own team extend possessions and helps end them for the other side. That kind of two-way rebounding from a wing is valuable.
Offensively, he’s never been a major threat from deep, but he has consistently been a solid finisher, converting roughly 70-75% of his attempts at the rim. He’s low-usage, doesn’t need touches to matter, and can chip in without needing the offense to bend around him.
Konchar probably isn’t getting meaningfully better at this stage. But as an end-of-bench option, he checks a lot of boxes: experience, cheap cost, defensive playmaking and rebounding. For a team without much flexibility, that’s the sort of profile that makes sense.
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Olivier Sarr fits that search as well as anyone on the current list of possibilities. The 6-foot-10 center has previous two-way experience with Cleveland, and his combination of size and G League production makes him a logical candidate if the Cavaliers decide to use that final opening on a true interior presence rather than another developmental flier. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Still Have One Important Backcourt Job Up For Grabs
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Cavaliers Still Have A Late Offseason Question Worth Watching
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What makes this stretch worth following is how many situations are still unresolved. Some players are widely expected to stay put, while others are lingering on unsigned deals or non-guaranteed contracts, leaving clubs room to change course if the right option appears. Cleveland does not need a splash to keep its eyes on this market, but one more quiet addition or a surprise decision elsewhere could still shape the final look of the roster. [Read more 🡒]