Cleveland Cavaliers: Rebounding is even more important in 2018-19

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue has constantly preached pushing pace, but that can’t mean rebounding takes a backseat.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not going to be as prolific offensively in 2018-19. Last year, they ranked fifth in the league in offensive rating and third in true shooting percentage, per NBA.com. We all know why; it was LeBron James (duh). What shouldn’t be lost in translation when it comes to James’ play, though, is his rebounding on a nightly basis. Even after all the miles he’s logged in his 15 years in the league, he always finds a way to be one of the best rebounders on his team, especially when the game’s on the line. Last year, he tied a career-high in rebounds per game with 8.6, and tied Kevin Love for the team lead with 7.5 defensive rebounds per game. However, the Cavs as a team struggled cleaning the glass, as only two playoff teams ranked worse in rebounding during the regular season, per NBA.com.

For a team that projects to have lost some height and size on the wing and at the small-ball power forward position, Cleveland could have even more trouble rebounding the basketball efficiently. On the defensive end, in particular, they will miss James’ size and strength, and the onus will be on Love, Larry Nance Jr. and Tristan Thompson even more than before.

It’s not as if that’s the worst thing in the world, as Love is a double-digit rebounder (generally speaking) in his sleep, and Nance and Thompson are impact rebounders on both ends with their effort and timing. Although Thompson didn’t perform nearly as well last season due to a myriad of issues, he has a proven track record on the glass.

When he got healthier, he had a more than respectable 9.7 rebounds per 36 minutes in the postseason, per Basketball Reference. In last year’s regular season as a whole, Nance had 11.5 boards per 36, so the potential in both the first and second unit is there for the Cavs to get good production from their fives against most matchups, particularly on the defensive end. That will be paramount for Cleveland getting out and going in transition, which should have more of an emphasis this season.

For the Cavs and Lue to take advantage of rookie point man Collin Sexton‘s “breakneck pace,” as our own Quenton Albertie put it recently, they’ll obviously need to end defensive possessions with the rebound first. That will often mean that the guards and wings such as Cedi Osman, Rodney Hood and David Nwaba will need to help out in ending possessions.

Hood has made an effort to gain muscle mass this offseason, per Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon, so that helps, considering he’ll probably log considerable minutes at the 3 as well if Osman is taking a rest or playing a small-ball four. Regardless, it’s unclear how much of an impact Hood has on the glass, considering he only has a career average of 4.0 rebounds per 36 minutes, per Basketball Reference.

With Hood predominantly matched up against spot-up threats defensively, and not likely switching onto pick-and-roll ball-handlers often, he will need to have more of a tangible impact on the glass. The Cavs don’t project as the biggest team on the perimeter, but their regular rotation players can make things happen by being in the right position and executing.

Kyle Korver is an effective rebounder when he’s on the floor based on that sort of awareness, for example, and there’s no reason if players are not playing as primary defenders on possessions that they can’t get boards. Nance and Thompson both will be switched out in pick-and-rolls on a regular basis, so the guards and wings need to help out against opposing rolling bigs. That also helps the Cavs on offense.

The Cavaliers are going to go through their share of ups and downs offensively, with Osman and Sexton having advanced roles for young players with the ball in their hands often, so getting out and running from rebounding effort will allow their young players to have simpler decisions and allow them to use their athleticism at the rim. Love is one of the best outlet passers we have in the league, even after made baskets, so the opportunities will definitely come in live transition.

In addition, Hood is more than capable of going coast-to-coast with the ball, so if he’s getting in the act as a rebounder, he’ll be able to showcase his playmaking ability against a non-set defense.

Like Hood, Osman, Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson (though he’s up and down with it) fit into that act. This was a great move from Sexton in transition.

For the Cavs to make the postseason, they’ll need to push it, and placing (at bare minimum) in the top of the league in rebounding will be essential to do that.

It’s almost impossible to project them having a top five offensive rating next season with the loss of James, so clearing the glass and stealing a few more possessions via offensive boards will go a long way in getting more wins.