Maligned for their isolation-heavy basketball for most of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are finally moving the ball more and the results are telling.
The Cavaliers are an offense-first team. There was never any doubting this but with the sudden decline in defensive efficiency the team has undertaken, the Cavs have needed to win games with their offense.
They have achieved this by using a very simple, but effective, formula: ball movement.
This point has been repeated and stressed all season long and while it gets repetitive, the truth behind it never disappoints. When Cleveland moves the ball and has bodies moving off the ball, they are almost unbeatable. In fact, the Cavs are 26-1 this season when they dish out 25 or more assists.
When they go to the contrary, and stand around watching LeBron James and Kyrie Irving dribble for 20 seconds, the offense bogs down and the Cavaliers become easy to defend.
It’s taken about four months but it seems like the Cavs have finally figured it all out. Cleveland has finally realized how much better they are when the ball is moving and over the Cavaliers recent winning streak, it’s been undeniable.
In the Cavs wins against the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks, the Cavaliers are averaging exactly 30 assists per game, tops in the entire league. Against the Nets, the Cavs had 29 assists on 38 made baskets, while they had 27 on 39 in the overtime win against the Hawks, 34 on 45 against the Hornets and finally 30 on 41 in the drubbing of a hapless Milwaukee outfit.
Over that same time span, the Cavs are first in the league in assist percentage (73.6 percent) and assist ratio (21.5).
“I mean, it’s my type of basketball,” said James about the ball movement, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I love when the ball is moving. I couldn’t care less about how many shots I get as long as the ball is moving and everybody is in a good rhythm and guys feel good about the offensive end.”
While James’ comments are contradictory with the numbers – 19.2 percent of his possessions are isolation plays, sixth in the league – there is no questioning his statement that the offense benefits from the passing.
Over the four game win streak, Cleveland is shooting 47.5 percent from the field, a rate that would place them third in the league if maintained across a whole season. The Cavs are also shooting 41.1 percent from beyond the three-point line, have an effective field goal percentage of 56.0 percent and a true shooting percentage of 58.0 percent.
More from King James Gospel
- 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
- The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
- 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
- 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
- This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead
The three-point weapon has also stood out as Cleveland’s ball movement has increased. The Cavs have hit at least 10 three’s in 16 straight games, which ties the Golden State Warriors for the longest streak in league history.
A key factor in the Cavaliers hitting such a high rate of their triples is that the attempts have been uncontested. In the previous four outings, the Cavs have attempted 35.3 three-pointers per game. Of those, a whopping 16 of them have been wide open (when the closest defender is six feet or further from the shooter). 13 of them have been open (when the defender is 4-6 feet of the shooter), which means 29 of the Cavaliers attempts have been high quality looks.
J.R. Smith has been a beneficiary of this, as he broke the all-time Cavalier record for most triples in a season with 197. Wesley Person held the previous record with 192 in 1997/98.
“Coming into the game, we talked about him breaking the single-season record for the Cavs,” Tyronn Lue said, via McMenamin. “That was on everyone’s mind, and LeBron said, ‘I’m going to come out and I’m going to get it to you in the first quarter,’ and he got it in the first quarter. So, that’s what great teammates do. Everyone was happy for him, and he shot the ball great tonight.”
Forward Kevin Love has also noticed the benefits of greater passing.
“When we move the ball and we always talk about the ball having energy, we just play so much better,” Love said, via Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I think that’s good for us heading into the post-season. If we can continue to do that, we’re going to get great shots.”
The ball movement becomes contagious, as five Cavaliers are averaging more assists than their season average over the recent winning streak. James is the most impressive, dishing out 10.3 dimes a night, followed by Irving (5.3), Matthew Dellavedova (4.8), Love (3.3) and Smith (2.5).
The uptick in ball movement has led to some San Antonio Spurs-esque plays, with this one being the most impressive.
The ball movement by the Cavs is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. https://t.co/I8wilWqeqg
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 6, 2016
Plays like the one above have been few and far between for the Cavaliers this season, which has been frustrating. This team knows how deadly they can be when the ball is swinging, so when Cleveland goes back to isolation ball, it is simply mind-boggling.
However, the focus the Cavs have shown as the playoffs near has been tremendous and there is no reason to doubt that they will keep that ball moving when the games really matter.
Add us as a preferred source on Google