Matthew Dellavedova has seemingly fallen off the players that the Cleveland Cavaliers can rely on. After rising to the occasion in various NBA Finals appearances, the 29-year-old has been virtually a non-factor for the Cleveland Cavaliers this 2019-20 NBA season. But it turns out that the Australian guard is quietly contributing in the background. And one beneficiary is sophomore guard Collin Sexton.
“Delly, part of the championship team, he knows what it is to be a pro. Just coming in every day and listening to him. If it’s a timeout, you guys will see he’ll come straight to me and say, ‘You could have done this’ or ‘Could have done that’ or ‘Look for this, look for that.’ It’s been big for my development. You see what he does, especially when he gets out there, he passes the ball amazingly. He just makes the right basketball play," Sexton said in an interview from Cleveland.com.
Sexton is one of the Cavaliers' big guns this season. He has played in 63 games averaging 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. Despite his efforts, the Cavaliers are in the tail-end of the Eastern Conference with a 19-45 win-loss record. But as most know, Cleveland endured a rocky past couple of months that included a change in the head coach.
Gone is John Beilein, who did not exactly pan up to the NBA brand of basketball. Taking the former Michigan Wolverines coach's place is JB Bickerstaff. The atmosphere has dramatically changed with several previously disgruntled and quiet Cavs players high on Bickerstaff. Sexton also praised the coaching change, and it appears the Cavaliers are on the right track to rebuilding.
As for Dellavedova, he continues to try hard and prove that he can still play at a high level. With injuries to several guards, the one-time NBA champion is out to prove that he can still be relied on, and a change in head coach could give him that chance.
“I always feel I have to prove myself,” Dellavedova said. “Prove myself to get here. Prove myself to stay here. I never think that goes away. I’m always out there…”
Dellavedova has played for only one other team in the league, the Milwaukee Bucks. That stint hardly raised his stock, and his return to the Cleveland fold in 2018 was far from the performance he had the first time out.
Regardless, all is not lost for the 6-foot-3 Australian. Things are picking up, and he is helping out outside the basketball court. Dellavedova still has a lot of playing years ahead and apparently the time to prove that it is now.
