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3 biggest questions for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the offseason

By Quinn Minnich

Cleveland Cavaliers executives Jason Hillman (left), Koby Altman (center) and Brandon Weems (right) are pictured during a game. (Photo by David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)
Cleveland Cavaliers executives Jason Hillman (left), Koby Altman (center) and Brandon Weems (right) are pictured during a game. (Photo by David Richard-USA TODAY Sports) /
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Darius Garland (left) and Jarrett Allen of Team LeBron interact with the Cleveland Cavaliers mascot during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a very good regular season, relative to what was expected of them before the season started. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Cavaliers had a 1% chance of making the playoffs before the season started. Ultimately, the Cavs did not make the playoffs, but if injuries did not pile up, they might have made it.

However, even with a success of a season, the Cavaliers have a few things to address in the offseason, and they’ll have to answer three big questions. There are definitely spots in the Cavs’ offense and defense that can improve, so President of Basketball Ops Koby Altman probably will not stay quiet this offseason.

#1: How do the Cavs increase their bench production?

To finish off the season, the Cavaliers ended the season as the 19th-best bench scoring team in the NBA, with 35.4 points per night coming from players off the bench. Mainly, the scoring off the bench came from Kevin Love and sometimes Caris LeVert, depending on if he was in the starting lineup or not. The bench’s rotation usually would consist of players like Rajon Rondo, Brandon Goodwin, Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, Kevin Love, and a few others. Scoring for a bench team like this is not their strong suit.

The playmaking on this bench is very solid, averaging the 3rd-most assists off the bench per night at 9.2 per game, only trailing the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors, both great playoff teams. The Cavs also beat out the reigning Finals teams in the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks in those regards.

However, even with great playmaking off the bench, the bench shooting was not their strong suit. The Cavaliers ended up with the 3rd-worst field goal percentage off the bench, with a poor 41.7% from the field from players off the bench, with Milwaukee and the Orlando Magic being the two teams even worse than Cleveland. The offense was subpar, so maybe in free agency or the 2022 NBA Draft, Cleveland will be able to get a player who can light it up off the bench efficiently.

The Cavaliers’ defense on the bench was pretty good, however. If the Cavaliers’ bench was their own team, they would rank 9th in the NBA in defensive rating, tied with the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, and Utah Jazz with a defensive rating of 110.5. The defensive versatility on the bench is very good, considering the Cavs have players such as Lamar Stevens and Rajon Rondo on the bench. Rondo, admittedly, doesn’t seem that likely to be back.