Player Grades: Cavs vs Pistons Game 3 – Max Strus changes the game

James Harden

*19 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal* Harden put a disastrous Game 2 behind him and helped the Cavs sprint out of the gates today. He was back to raising their floor offensively, making timely plays to keep the Cavs bigs involved throughout the first half. Then, in closing time, Harden put the team on his back and carried them across the finish line. It was his isolation scoring that staved off Detroit’s comeback and kept the Cavaliers in front to end the game. ***Grade:* A**

**Evan Mobley**

*13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks* The Cavs will always be at their best, or at least better, when Mobley is being decisive. There’s no need for him to dribble or probe more than a few seconds on any given possession. The more straightforward the game gets, the better Mobley looks. A fourth-quarter possession in which Mobley caught the ball on the wing, took an inverted screen, and went straight up with a two-step layup is an example of this. Mobley shot 4-6 from the floor and earned 10 free throws, but only made half of them. ***Grade:* B-**

Jarrett Allen

*18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 block*s Allen continues to be a workhorse for the Cavs. He’s putting his head down and getting to the rim, or staying alert from the dunker’s spot for more opportunities to duck in and score. Allen is holding down the fort defensively and converting the majority of his attempts on offense. Can’t ask for much more than that. ***Grade:* B+**

Dean Wade

*3 points, 1 rebound* Wade’s time in the starting lineup is getting questionable. Yet, none of the other role players has outright taken the job from him. There’s no way to work around this team’s need for a wing-sized contributor. That doesn’t mean Wade is earning his place in the rotation, but the Cavs currently have no other options. ***Grade:* D**

Max Strus

*7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assist*s, 1 steal At this point, we’ve seen how Strus can impact winning without necessarily shooting the ball well. He was electric tonight, hustling for loose balls and giving Cleveland the intensity they sometimes lack in these moments. His third-quarter sequence, which included a backdoor layup, a forced turnover on the inbounds, and then a hockey assist for a Jaylon Tyson three-pointer, was pivotal in keeping things under control during a Detroit surge. “He’s a maniac competitor,” said Kenny Atkinson. “We needed some wildness tonight, and he provides that.” ***Grade:***

Jaylon Tyson

*3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists* For as much as we want Tyson to join the starting lineup, this is a job he has to earn. Tyson was fine in his two games in Detroit, but looked a bit shell-shocked today and wasn’t as willing to shoot or attack as you’d like. An errant inbounds pass that turned into a buzzer-beating layup to end the third quarter was deflating. ***Grade:* C-**

Dennis Schroder

*11 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 2 blocks* Schroder helped the Cavs start this game with a lead by knocking down a pair of triples in the first quarter and using his burst to put pressure on the rim. His ball-handling and defensive tenacity have made him necessary to this rotation. ***Grade:* A-**

Sam Merrill

*7 points* Merrill returned from a hamstring injury and looked right at home. He buried a heavily contested jumper in his first minutes on the floor and then drew an offensive foul shortly after. He’d draw another one later in the second half, and did much more than the box score suggests. ***Grade:* B+**