At Least The Cleveland Cavaliers NBA D-League Franchise Is In First Place

While the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently in last place in the NBA’s Central Division, the team’s NBA D-League franchise is currently in first place.

The Canton Charge, playing in the East Division, is currently leading its division by 1.5 games and has a strong record of 20-13.

What does the success mean for the Cavaliers? Well, not a whole lot, but it does mean that the Cavaliers have some talent in Canton that might be able to help them.

Josh Selby, for example, came over to the Cavaliers in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this season and is playing well in Canton. Selby has played in 8 games with the Charge and has started 5 of the contests. He is averaging 16.3 points and 4.4 assists per game with the team. The 6-2 guard out of Kansas is in his second year in the D-League.

Forward/center Arinze Onuaku is also impressing down in Canton. Onuaku has consistently been listed on the NBA D-League’s list for Top 10 Prospects, and is currently listed as the league’s fifth-best prospect.

At 6-9 and 275 pounds, Onuaku has good size and he has been using his bulk effectively this season. This season, he has played in 22 games for the Charge and started 18 of them. He is currently averaging 12.1 points and an impressive 9.7 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 56 percent from the field, but just 51 percent from the free throw line.

Onuaku was invited to play in the D-League’s All-Star Game, where he scored 14 points on 6 for 7 shooting.

Other standouts so far this season include guards Kyle Gibson, Jorge Gutierrez and Antoine Agudio.

Playing in the D-League, it’s hard to tell just how well these players will do against NBA competition. Plenty of D-League players have found success in the NBA, though, and it’s a good bet that some of these players, especially Selby and Onuaku, will be seeing some time in the NBA soon.

Selby will likely see some playing time with the Cavaliers this season, while it is not clear if Onuaku will be playing in Cleveland this year or not. He will get a shot with the Cavaliers or another NBA team eventually, though, and hopefully a few other members of the Charge will, too.