Ante Zizic could see more action this season. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- By the end of the 2017-18 season, the Cavaliers had just one player remaining from the franchise-altering Kyrie Irving trade. It was Ante Zizic, originally thought to be a throw-in late in those August negotiations.

In his first season with the championship-driven Cavaliers, Zizic bounced between the G League and the NBA, spending most of his time with the Cavaliers wearing snazzy suits at the end of the bench. It took until March for him to get meaningful playing time.

It will come sooner than that this season, as Zizic has done everything possible to prepare for a bigger opportunity and the Cavs seem ready to give it to him.

In the run-up to the Cavs' 2018-19 training camp that starts with media day on Sept. 24, cleveland.com is taking a look at each roster player and what might be expected this season if this team is to survive LeBron James' departure and make a legitimate run at a playoff spot.

Each time the doors opened to the Cleveland Clinic Courts practice facility last season, Zizic was working at the near basket, dripping with sweat while honing his craft with assistant coach Vitaly Potapenko. Post moves. Midrange jumpers. Free throws. Layups with each hand. Sometimes Zizic would use a weighted basketball. Other times he would get banged around with a pad or shoot over a contraption Potapenko held up to make the attempts more challenging.

A poster child for player development, the days of Zizic playing in Canton look to be in the past and he should be one of the biggest beneficiaries of a philosophical shift.

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Season rewind

Zizic made his NBA debut in the third game, much earlier than anyone could have predicted. In a shocking blowout loss on the second game of a back-to-back against the woeful Orlando Magic, Zizic popped off the bench late and tallied four points, four rebounds and two blocks in seven productive minutes.

But it was just a tease.

Playing time was sporadic, especially on a team that used Kevin Love at center, steering away from the traditional big man.

In March, a lengthy set of circumstances led to Zizic getting more chances. Love was sidelined with an injury. Channing Frye was in Los Angeles, part of the package sent to the Lakers for bouncy big man Larry Nance Jr. and scoring guard Jordan Clarkson. The opponents made sense for that bruising skill set.

In a two-week stretch, Zizic averaged 8.2 points in 14.1 minutes. He reached double figures four times in a five-game stretch from March 11-19. Then he capped the season with the best game of his young career. On a night the regulars were bystanders, Zizic burned the Knicks for 20 points on 7-of-9 from the field to go with seven rebounds in 27 minutes.

It was a quiet playoff run for him. However, if you want to impress friends, ask them which player scored the final two baskets of the NBA season. Answer: Zizic, who did it in the closing minutes of Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

In all, Zizic finished his first season in the NBA -- and first in the United States -- with averages of 3.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 32 games.

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The physical part of the NBA can be a challenging learning experience. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

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Great expectations

In a pace-and-space era with traditional bigs becoming mementos and the 3-point shot a necessity, Zizic does his best work near the rim. The burly Croatian worked behind the scenes on extending his range, popping 18-20 footers on the practice floor like layups. Of course, game situations are much different. He only attempted five shots outside 10 feet last season.

Extending his range could be one key to his playing time. Another is how the Cavs decide to approach their lineups.

Will they continue to play Love at the 5, something the All-Star didn't always enjoy? If Love sticks at his comfortable power forward spot and Nance is viewed in the same light, then the door swings open for Zizic to become the backup center.

If the Cavs go the other direction, again implementing smaller, non-traditional lineups, it becomes tougher to find a specific role for Zizic.

No matter, the Cavs hope Zizic can use his performance at summer league and in FIBA as a springboard into this season.

Summer league stats can be deceiving. But in two games, he averaged 20.5 points and 12.5 rebounds.

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Contract status

Zizic can be under team control through at least the 2021-22 season. After this year, where he is set to make $1.9 million, he has a pair of team options in his contract before he can become a restricted free agent. The two team options are worth $2.2 million and $3.8 million respectively. His qualifying offer in 2022 would be worth $5.6 million.

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How Cleveland got him

He arrived in the Irving blockbuster. The Cavs acquired Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Zizic and a future first-round pick (it turned into Collin Sexton) from the Celtics.

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Big summer news

After Zizic participated in a few games at the Las Vegas Summer League, he was excused so he could return home and watch Croatia in the World Cup Final (yes, the soccer tournament). Even though they lost to France, it was a memorable run.

Shortly after, Zizic played for Croatia in FIBA World Cup qualifying. He averaged 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 18 minutes. Croatia, with a 3-5 in the group stage, is unlikely to advance to the 2019 FIBA World Cup.