The Cavs cannot over-dribble against packed-in defenses

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had better man and ball movement in a recent stretch of games, but when defenses are packed-in, there are still too many instances when the Cavs are over-dribbling.

It’s no news flash that teams that are playing a bunch of young players big minutes, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, are going to turn the ball over often. That’s been an ongoing problem for Cleveland in the 2019-20 season, and at times, though, I’ve been fine with the turnovers.

It’s still going to take more experience for the likes of Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr. and Cedi Osman to really get comfortable in knowing where to be when operating in pick-and-roll and how to get bigs such as Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. the ball where they want it.

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That will lead to some unfortunate giveaways, and in turn, easy transition for opponents in the process. Nonetheless, the turnovers where Garland, Porter and Love (who is second on the Cavs in turnover rate, as noted by NBA.com) among other Cavaliers are trying to make the right play is something I can live more with.

Again, the Cavs’ offense has had more productive man and ball movement in the last seven games or so. Cleveland has only won two of those contests, against the San Antonio Spurs in overtime, and on Wednesday, the Cavs, especially in the first half, were consistently moving the rock and getting good looks, in the paint in particular.

Of course, the Cavaliers did have a number of transition attempts in that first half against Charlotte, and have had plenty of success when pieces such as Sexton, Osman and Jordan Clarkson have gotten leak-outs, but that’s not always going to be the case.

What is always good to see as a Cavs fan, too, is when Osman is involved as a cutter in set offense.

He’s been able to get more looks getting downhill, such as with several back cuts to the cup on Wednesday, and him and Love, who is going to be fully locked-in as long as he’s here in Cleveland, have good chemistry in this sort of plays throughout games.

Plus, even when defenses are packed in behind that, Osman has the passing feel to get the ball swung to the opposite corner, and productive movement can happen from there leading to quality looks at minimum.

The key, though, is Osman not trying to force his way to the rim when it’s not there, or when players such as Garland after getting good deliveries or hand-offs know when to stop to avoid the presence of rim protectors deeper in the paint, and have the wherewithal to find the right pass.

This play was a terrific feed from Garland to Porter over the top after an awesome weak side cut after Cody Martin slid over to deter Garland. I was really glad to see Garland not try to do too much and go all the way to the rim and attempt an up-and-under here.

Again, at times I understand that bucket-getters such as Sexton and Clarkson need to simply make a play, but when it’s not there, there’s often too much over-dribbling still leading to bad shots. That’s then resulted in teams getting easy baskets the other way a considerable amount, which has to be so irritating for Cleveland head coach John Beilein and the coaching staff.

Here’s another good play from Garland, who is now shooting 37.5% on 4.7 three-point attempts per game this season, according to NBA.com. I liked that Garland didn’t try to penetrate when it wasn’t there here, and let it fly, and due to his early season struggles shooting it from distance, he likely would’ve hesitated, and Charlotte’s defense could’ve shrunk passing lanes as well as used length to smother Garland off-the-bounce.

Admittedly, Garland did have three giveaways in that one and Cleveland’s starters combined to have 17 of the team’s 25 turnovers on Wednesday, as shown by ESPN, which played a big role in Charlotte getting back into the game and nearly coming all the way back from a 24-point deficit in the second game of a back-to-back. Terry Rozier‘s 35 points had a bit to do with that, too.

Anyway, while Sexton did get into trouble, again often from over-dribbling when defense was packed-in, and has been the case throughout his career, Sexton has shown when bigs are dropping against him and he’s taking what’s there in rhythm, he has really good touch on floaters/push shots near the elbows.

That was on display throughout Wednesday’s contest, and that’s a shot he should be able to get while not being too greedy. Keep in mind, these are not bad shots where Collin is passing up wide-open three-pointers and settling for more-contested long two’s.

Granted, I’d still like to see Sexton make quicker decisions in settled offense when the shots aren’t there, but on the plus side, he hasn’t turned it over much, as evidenced by a turnover rate of just 8.8%, as NBA.com indicates. Again, the shot selection from Sexton, who still over-drives it, though, along with Clarkson, is what causes Beilein and others to scratch their heads.

Moreover, while I don’t want the youngsters and others to not drive it, it’s clear that the Cavaliers are at their best offensively when players are moving consistently, and also getting the ball back from relocating.

In the last 10 games, Cleveland has averaged 24.1 assists per contest, which at least in the middle of the pack, and is an improvement, compared to the season, in which Cleveland has posted 21.4 assists per outing, which ranks 28th.

Now again, turnovers have killed Cleveland, and in the last 10 games, the Cavs have the highest turnover rate in the Association, as shown by NBA.com.

Plenty of that, though, comes when there’s been stagnant offense and players are trying to do too much, which is going to make it much, much more difficult to defend going the other way and that’s when opponents have often gotten huge runs.

Opponents understand Cleveland Sexton, Garland and others want to drive it, and they are going to keep closing that off. When the Cavaliers are not over-dribbling, though, and moving the ball, they are getting better looks as a result.

Keep up the man and ball movement to cause defenses to over-commit, and you’ll be at your best and be more competitive while getting cutting and lob opportunities, Cavs.