One stud and one dud for Cavs in Wednesday’s beatdown of Bulls

Cavs stud: Three-point shooting

It’s hard to believe that just a year ago, the Cavs were probably the worst three-point shooting team in the league. Whether it be the addition of Mobley, or the added pressure on defense, the Cavaliers have certainly found their rhythm this year behind the arc.

In 2020 they were shooting just 33.6 percent from deep. However, I will say the team did not have Kevin Love for a majority of the season last year, and this year he’s shooting 37 percent from deep, which has been huge off the bench. On top of that, the team also did not have Lauri Markkanen last year, who ironically enough was playing for the Bulls.

He’s shooting 34 percent from three, which is the worst of his career, yet he seems to be having a lot more success in Cleveland than in Chicago. Another note to add, is just that the sheer volume of threes that Markkanen shoots affects how a defense can defend a team for the whole game.

And since his return from COVID-19 protocols, Markkanen has found his rhythm again, and is shooting it far better than early on. In his last nine games since returning from protocols, he’s connected on 38.2 percent from three, to that point.