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Cleveland Cavaliers: Last year’s weakness could be this season’s strength

By Nathan Beighle

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 9: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots a free throw during the game against the Golden State Warriors in Game Four of the 2017 NBA Finals on June 9, 2017 at The Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 9: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots a free throw during the game against the Golden State Warriors in Game Four of the 2017 NBA Finals on June 9, 2017 at The Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers had obvious flaws last season, but this season, they might have solved at least one of those nagging issues.

The 2016-2017 Cleveland Cavaliers. What do they bring to mind? As far as their roster, they were horrible defensively, but they were also one of the league’s worst free throw shooting teams. Last season, they made just under 75% of their free throws. Compare that to what they averaged per game, and the Cavs left just under six points per game at the charity stripe.

This season, that will change though, and it should make a noticeable impact. Ultimately, a large majority of this shooting woes fell on King James, who shot the worst percentage from the line of his career. James, Rose, and Love were the top three leaders in attempts per game from the line, and through the first couple games, have all connected on over 88%. James has yet to a miss a free throw this season.

One reason that this percentage should skyrocket this season is due to the absence of Kyrie Irving. Last season, Kyrie Irving was the second option and a part of the dynamic duo that ran Cleveland. With the ball in his hands so often, Irving should have gone to the line more than 4.9 times per game. He needed to be more aggressive going to the body of bigger players. Rose, who could be the third or even fourth option on this remodeled team, has got to the line 5.0 times per game and shot 90% on those shots. Rose has excelled at counterbalancing his poor three-point shooting with getting to and excelling from the free throw line.

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The other two reasons that this team should be much more efficient from the line are Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson.

Tristan Thompson is only in this conversation because of the Cavaliers, that played over 20 games, he shot the fourth most at 2.7 per game last season. While not a volume free throw shooter, he was detrimental to the team’s percentage. He was the only Cavalier to get consistent minutes and shoot under 50% from the line. Now, as a member of the second unit, Thompson most likely will not be given the same opportunity to get to the line. Along with that, the Cavaliers’ small-ball lineups are a much more convenient late-game option so that Thompson is not fouled just to see him miss two free throws.

As for Kevin Love, more involvement will only be a good thing for the Cavaliers. Besides his incredible ability to overpower other bigs in the post, Love is one the team’s best free throw shooters. At 6.0, Love has actually attempted the most free throws per game after just two games. While just a small sample size, Love has always been an excellent free throw shooter throughout his career also. It will just be getting him to the line in volume that will be difficult. This will only happen by making a concerted effort to feed Love in the post and at the elbows. This would help the Cavaliers score and take quite a bit of the pressure off LeBron James.

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More Love, less Thompson, a better LeBron, and a non-existent Kyrie are all key reasons as to why this team should excel from the line and thereby give themselves a better chance to win overall.