Over the past few games, DeAndre Liggins has been a pleasant surprise for the Cleveland Cavaliers and a nightmare for opposing guards.
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The former D-League Defensive Player of the Year has admirably filled in for some of the available minutes caused by J.R. Smith’s injury. But even with the latter’s return to the lineup against the Charlotte Hornets, Liggins still found some floor time after earning coach Tyronn Lue’s trust.
After bouncing around the league quite a few times, the 53rd overall pick of the 2011 draft is now in the best position to earn valuable experience as a rotation player for the defending champion Cavs.
But before deciding on taking the road to Northeast Ohio, Liggins found himself in a crossroad, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
I had the choice of Atlanta or here, but my agent told me to come here. Of course, he knew better than I could because he talked to the front-office people. I know since I’ve been in this league that nothing has been guaranteed to me. I’ve had to work for everything, so me coming to training camp [on a non-guaranteed deal], it was something I was used to. The only thing that was different was this team won the Finals last year and it was just crazy. So, I’m up to challenges, and since I’ve been in this league I’ve had to make teams through training camp. That’s something I’m used to. That’s how I’m built, and that’s something I’m going to always carry with me.
With the way things are going, Liggins could become a fixture on the Cavs’ title defense formula, giving the team a scary defensive trio at the guard spot with Smith and Iman Shumpert.