Charlotte Hornets: J.P. Macura is a low risk option for Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers have agreed to a deal with former Charlotte Hornets guard J.P. Macura. He’s a cheap option for them and has a good chance at making the final roster.

As a rookie last season, J.P. Macura didn’t get much of an opportunity with the Charlotte Hornets. He went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft after a great four-year career at Xavier, but spent most of his first professional season with the Greensboro Swarm in the G-League.

Macura was signed to a two-way contract, so he was expected to spend quite a lot of time in the G-League. He only appeared in two games for the Hornets, while appearing in 30 games for the Swarm.

His NBA stats were just 3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per game, but his G-League stats were 16.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 27.9 minutes. He and fellow two-way player Joe Chealey both impressed many with their play in the G-League.

Macura’s next stop — Cleveland. He’ll be back in his old stomping grounds, as he played college basketball in Ohio for the Xavier Musketeers. The deal will be a partially guaranteed (Exhibit 10) contract, according to Sportando. He’ll be with the Cavaliers for training camp, fighting for a roster spot or potentially another two-way contract.

Similar to the Hornets, the Cavaliers are in rebuild mode, but they are in better shape compared to Charlotte. General Manager Koby Altman has done a tremendous job gathering assets during his short tenure in Cleveland. He’s also drafted very well, and has a great trade chip in Kevin Love that he can use to get even more future assets. Cleveland is set up for the future, and Macura could be apart of that, if he plays well enough.

After adding Macura, the Cavaliers roster now sits at 14 players, along with one two-way player, Dean Wade. Teams can bring in up to 20 players for training camp, but must have 15 players at most going into the season. That doesn’t include players on a two-way contract.

So, since Macura’s spot on the team isn’t guaranteed, he’ll be fighting for one of the two final roster spots during training camp. If the roster is full, converting Macura’s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way contract could also be a possibility.

The thing I like most about Macura’s game is his hustle. He plays hard, and that’s something that you cannot teach. He’s also a pretty good three-point shooter, and is learning how to play both guard positions at the next level. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he finds his way onto Cleveland’s roster thanks to his fight.

He plays a little bit like Matthew Dellavedova, intensity wise at least. Dellavedova is now his teammate in Cleveland. He isn’t the most talented player on the floor, but he always plays with 100 percent effort. Macura is a better shooter than the 2015-16 NBA Champion, and also a better athlete, but they do have some similarities.

Hopefully Macura can leave an impression on the Cavaliers front office and make the final roster. His time is up with the Charlotte Hornets, but it was fun watching him in the G-League during his first season.