Utah Jazz rank 2018-19: Two-way signee Tyler Cavanaugh is No. 16

Utah Jazz forward Tyler Cavanaugh made an impact at the NBA level last season before incurring an ill-timed ankle injury.

Although injuries are never a good thing for the players they happen to, there can be a silver lining when they occur. Specifically, when one player goes down, another is given the opportunity to step up in their absence. Forward Tyler Cavanaugh — No. 16 on our 2018-19 Utah Jazz rankings — managed to hit both ends of the spectrum last season.

As an undrafted free agent, Cavanaugh faced long odds to land a spot in the Association. However, injuries in the Atlanta Hawks’ frontcourt created a pathway for him. A camp deal eventually led to a two-way spot. Cavanaugh later became the first player ever to get a multi-year deal after completing his two-way pact.

But as injuries gaveth, so, too, did they taketh away. In February, Cavanaugh hurt his ankle; a setback he never really recovered from. In the end, the Hawks waived him just four days before his two-year deal was set to become guaranteed.

It was a tough break, but Cavanaugh made the most of his opportunity while he could. All told, he saw court time in 39 games as a rookie with the Hawks. And he was impressive when he played. The 24-year-old averaged nearly five points in 13 minutes per game and exhibited solid potential as a floor-stretching four.

He put up more than six 3-point attempts per 36 minutes when he was on the court and knocked down said shots at a 36-percent clip. That number jumped to 45 percent in his 11 G-League games.

Cavanaugh sees himself performing a similar function with the Jazz. “I am a stretch four big who can step away from the hoop and shoot threes,” he told The J-Notes’ Josh Padmore over the weekend. “But I also like to mix it up inside. I pride myself on playing hard every time I am on the floor.”

That said, he also understands his situation will be different in Utah, where he may spend the brunt of his time with the Salt Lake City Stars. The Jazz are loaded in the frontcourt and Georges Niang, who has a year in the Jazz system under his belt, already snagged the team’s final guaranteed-money roster spot after lighting it up during summer league.

Still, Cavanaugh is a proven commodity at the NBA level. For that reason, as well as his size and skill set, I rank him ahead of the Jazz’s other two-way guy, Naz Mitrou-Long.

6-foot-9 3-point shooters don’t grow on trees; in that way, Cavanaugh is the kind of player every team wants on their bench. Jazz fans should be happy he’ll be sitting on Utah’s bench this season.