The Cavs should build a new identity through defense

The LeBron conundrum

LeBron is one of the greatest players of all-time. He carried last year’s Cavs team throughout the playoffs and into the Finals.

BUT.

There’s no denying that in his 82 games last season, he took a few plays off on the defensive side. I’m remembering a particular instance midseason when he, hands-on-hips, allowed Dennis Smith Jr to dribble past him for an easy dunk:

And, of course, there’s his bouts of frustration which manifest into not getting back in transition.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this. The league’s best player is allowed to get frustrated; he is allowed to complain to the refs; he is allowed to make mistakes.

But who knows what sort of effect this had on the other Cavaliers watching James’s effort. When basketball’s biggest and best star takes plays off, taking plays off can become normalized for the rest of the team.

I do not want this point to be overstated, as I was not inside the Cavaliers’ locker room or the players’ heads.

All I’m saying is top-five defenses rarely take plays off.