How the Cleveland Cavaliers Defense has Turned Around
By Luke Sicari
When the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Timofey Mozgov, J.R Smith and Iman Shumpert back in the first week of January, they did so with a few goals in mind. The Cavs wanted to rid themselves from the Dion Waiters problem without losing a scoring punch off the bench, they accomplished that with Smith (although he is starting). They also wanted to fix up their, at that point, hopeless defense. Mozgov was brought in for some much needed rim protection, something that General Manager David Griffin knew was a problem before the season began and Shumpert was picked up to provide the Cavs with a shut-down perimeter defender.
Before the Cavaliers pulled the trigger on these big trades, their defense was simply unwatchable. Teams would carve up the Cavalier defense, getting anything they wanted at the rim, with little to no resistance. At times, it almost seemed the Cavs were playing 4-on-5 on defense, as the opposition seemingly always had an open man on the floor, whether it be an open player on the perimeter or under the basket, Cleveland’s defense was losing them games. All of this factored into the Cavs spending majority of the first part of the season 29th or 30th in the league for defensive rating, as the Cavs D became the laughing stock of the NBA.
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That has now changed though, thanks to the aforementioned acquisitions of Mozgov, Shumpert and surprisingly, Smith. Not only has the trio brought some great defense to Cleveland but they have also raised the defensive efforts of everyone around them, mainly Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, two players who have never exactly been defensive minded in the past.
One of the major problems the Cavaliers had on defense during the early part of the season was defending opponents around the rim. On countless occasions, players would finish at the rim with little to no resistance from the trio of Anderson Varejao, Love and Tristan Thompson. Many people believe defense simply comes down to effort, in fact it does on most plays. Yet when it came to the Cavaliers rim protection problem, personnel was the major problem. Varejao, while not a horrible defender, as his hustle and energy disturbs many opponents, simply wasn’t adequate enough to defend the rim at a high level (in case you have lived under a rock since the start of the season, Varejao is lost for the season due to a torn Achilles tendon.) Love lacks the athleticism to be a marquee rim protector and also lacked the defensive passion around the rim earlier in the season and Thompson, despite his priceless energy he brings off the bench, is too small at 6”9 to be the rim protector the Cavs were looking for.
Enter: Timofey Mozgov.
Ever since Mozgov put on a Wine and Gold jersey, he has made a huge (evident by just looking at his 7”1, 250 pound frame) difference on the defensive end. In the 24 games Mozgov has played for the Cavs, he is allowing opponents to shoot 45.5% from the rim, while sending back 1.6 shots a game. Mozgov is defending 8.4 shot attempts at the rim while in Cleveland, which is more then the likes of Omer Asik, Roy Hibbert and Anthony Davis, which makes that 45.5% number look even more impressive.
Mozgov has been a positive on the defensive end while on the court and when he sits, the Cavs numbers have taken a hit.
| STAT | ON COURT | OFF COURT | NET RATING |
| Pts allowed per 100 poss. | 105.6 | 109.5 | -3.9 |
| Effective FG% allowed | 47.20% | 51.30% | -4.10% |
Even though the -3.9 NET rating when Mozgov is on the court for points allowed per 100 possessions isn’t a huge difference, it’s a positive difference nonetheless. Seeing that the Cavaliers have moved into a tie for 19th in defensive efficiency at a 104.2 rate, it’s a big improvement. Yes, 19th in defensive efficiency isn’t where a championship contender wants to be, as it’s now almost a pre-requisite that if you want to be in the championship picture, you must be a top 10 defensive team. The number is on the way up for Cleveland though, as since the beginning of February, the Cavaliers have posted a defensive rating of 99.1, which would put them third in the league, trailing only Milwaukee and Golden State.
Mozgov isn’t only having a huge individual impact though. Even though he has already been at the ball club for almost two months now, he is already (along with another new Cav, Smith) a part the second most efficient line-up for the Cavaliers. The five-man unit of Irving, Smith, LeBron James, Love and Mozgov have played 194 minutes together and in that time, they have posted a NET rating of +92 and have gone 11-2, a winning percentage of 84.6%. While it is a small sample size, it doesn’t change the fact that ever since the acquisition of Mozgov, the Cavaliers defense has completely turned around.
One man who has been influenced by Mozgov’s play has been Love, who has been knocked all season for his lack of effort on the defensive end. It’s safe to say that the first few months for Love in a Wine and Gold uniform were tough. His numbers across the board were down, he didn’t look to be enjoying himself and his defensive shortcomings were being exposed at a national level. The Love hater’s fan club was out in full force but they cannot knock Love for his defense since the Mozgov trade. Before Mozgov, Love was allowing opponents to shoot 49.6% against him, which isn’t that bad but when you see he was also allowing opponents to shoot 62.6% on field goal attempts from less than 6 feet, it gets ugly. Love was providing absolutely no defense around the rim but ever since a true rim protector, in Mozgov, has came along, Love has shown that he can be a solid defensive player. Since January the 14th (a week after the trade), Love is now only allowing opponents to shoot 41.8% from the field, an excellent number. Oh, and those shots from less than 6 feet? Down to 49.1%, which isn’t perfect but is a huge improvement from before Mozgov.
Love’s generally defensive energy has also stepped up, as he is getting his hands on more balls, seems more alert on that end and he has no longer became a defensive liability, as the team is a +9.8 with Love on the court shows (+6.0 on/-3.8 off). Poor defensive performances has led to Love being benched in the fourth quarter in multiple games so far this season. The impact that the Big Russian has had on Love though, has shown that Love is no longer a punching bag on defense and that he can definitely be a factor come playoff time.
Another player who has improved greatly on the defensive end this season, even before the Mozgov trade, is Irving. Ever since his introduction into the league, the knock on Irving has been his defense. For all his fancy dribbling and ridiculous shot making, it always came back to his lack of defense. That has all changed this season though, as Irving’s name is now in the elite group of NBA point guards. Even before the Mozgov trade, Irving was only allowing opponents to shoot 44.5% percent against him and he had locked down the likes of Chris Paul, Derrick Rose and Damian Lillard. Since the trade though, like everyone else, Irving has only became better, as now opponents are shooting an even lower 42.7% from the field against him. With a true rim protector behind him, Irving has been able to expend more energy on the perimeter, getting into the face of his opponent, knowing the insurance of Mozgov is behind him. Irving is also doing the little things, such as diving for loose balls and showing more grittiness on the defensive end, something Mozgov has definitely helped with.
It hasn’t only been Mozgov though, as Smith and Shumpert have also helped out in giving the Cavaliers a new identity on the defensive end of the floor. Everyone knew that the Cavs were getting a defensive minded player in Shumpert and so far, he hasn’t disappointed. While working his way back from a shoulder injury he suffered while playing for the New York Knicks earlier in the season, Shumpert has provided a defensive punch off the bench for the Cavs so far. When Shumpert is on the floor, the Cavs are allowing 2.8 fewer points per 100 possessions and more impressively, the opposition’s effective field goal percentage with Shumpert on the floor is 46.3%, compared to 50.9% when he sits. Even more eye-popping is the fact that opponents are only shooting 37.2% when defended by Shumpert, an unreal number. The Cavs knew what they were getting with Shumpert and he has been better then advertised so far and will only get better once he gets more accustomed to David Blatt’s system.
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Smith has been the biggest surprise though, as he has discovered a defensive intensity, that some have never seen from him, ever since he landed in Cleveland. Known in New York for his infamous shot selection and off the court antics, Smith has completely turned his season around in Cleveland. Opponents are having trouble when being guarded by Smith, as he is only allowing them to shoot 40.6% from the field and he is coming up with 1.8 steals a game. The steals is the key stat here, as Smith’s quick hands on the perimeter has allowed the Cavaliers to do what they do best, get out in transition and run the break. This has led to the Cavs having a positive NET rating of 3.9 with Smith on the floor (+5.8 on/+1.9 off.) Smith was meant to replace Waiters and be the sixth man on the team. Instead, he has helped the Cavs starting line-up to have a defensive rating of 92.7, an amazing number, tops in the league for five-man units with at least 200 minutes played together. Smith’s defense has been a big story for the Cavs this season and he is giving Blatt no reason to remove him from the starting line-up.
The Cavaliers have been on a tear lately, winning 18 of their last 21 games. While their offense has been unstoppable as usual, it’s been the burst of improvement on the defensive end that has made the Cavaliers the most dangerous team in the NBA since the New Year. The additions of Mozgov, Smith and Shumpert have been better than anyone could have predicated and it’s been with their help, that the Cavs are now a team that needs to be taken seriously on the defensive end.
What have you seen from the Cavs defense lately? Let us know in the comments below!
Stats via NBA.com/stats, ESPN.com and 82games.com