Currently, the Cleveland Cavaliers are sitting at fifth in a loaded Eastern Conference at 27-17, and they have some things they’ll have to shore up.
What is evident, though, is this team is a talented one that should make the postseason, as they have a superstar in Donovan Mitchell now, and Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are all core pieces they can usually lean on.
But, Cleveland has some issues to iron out still, and trade rumors about the Cavs seeking wing help will continue to be there, and for an offensive and/or shooting boost, one would have to think a move could be made by the deadline.
Recently, longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein reported via his Substack how the Cavs have “weighed” pursuing a three-way trade where the Utah Jazz would acquire the Atlanta Hawks’ John Collins and Caris LeVert would be dealt to Atlanta (subscription required). In that hypothetical, Cleveland would acquire Malik Beasley from Utah.
Generally speaking, the Cavaliers would seem to be active from here until the Feb. 9 deadline, and LeVert is a clear potential trade piece, with his expiring deal and rumors throughout. He is a player who has picked up his play in recent weeks, on the plus side.
Looking internally at what’s ahead for the Cavs, however, while there have been a number of quality contributors, and bright spots, there are some players that need to pick things up some in the rest of the season ahead. Trade rumors aside, some internal improvement has to come, for Cleveland’s offense, especially.
Having said that, here, we’ll take a closer look at two Cavs that should be set to improve, as we’re a bit past the seasons’ halfway point.
The first is a rotational big that’s been off of late.
No. 1: Kevin Love
Kevin Love hasn’t had quite the same effect for the Cavaliers this season as he did last year. Love finished second in voting for the Sixth Man of the Year last season, when he had 13.6 points per contest, and hauled in 7.2 rebounds per game.
In 22.5 minutes per game last season, he was very efficient in his minutes-share, and in a move to a supersub-type role, it paid dividends for both him/his preservation and the team.
Now, Love has been decent this year for the Cavaliers, but he’s had a few injuries thus far, and his overall scoring splits are down. On the season, he’s had 8.9 points per contest (leading to a career-low 15.5 points per-36 minutes as well), and his three-point shooting clip is sitting at 35.8 percent. He’s recently had some ice cold games from beyond the arc.
In Love’s last eight games, he’s hit 11 of 43 three-point attempts, a 25.6 percent hit rate. That’s not exactly a gaudy clip of late for the veteran, who is one of Cleveland’s most polished perimeter shooters.
Fortunately for Love, it should be a positive that Ricky Rubio is now back, and as he gets reacclimated, their chemistry could help Love get back into a nice rhythm. Their two-man game was fruitful last season before Rubio’s injury, and they were longtime teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Generally, though, despite this rough patch of games in January for Love, not long ago, he was getting it done as the impact shooter he can still be, and if the looks are there, he should be fine. In the games to come in the seasons’ second half, one should anticipate Love to find his shooting rhythm for stretches again, and continue to be active on the defensive glass.
The 34-year-old still has gas left in the tank.
No. 2: Evan Mobley
To clear the air here, this isn’t suggesting that Evan Mobley has not played well, to a large degree, so far this season. He’s again been invaluable on the defensive end of the floor with his versatility, rim protection and active hands, and his off-ball feel continually has popped on the offensive end.
For the season overall to this point, he’s had 14.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest, which are similar splits to his rookie year, when he had 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per outing. Then, he was the league’s runner-up for the Rookie of the Year, and seemingly was well in-line for winning that award, prior to a strong close from the Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes.
Nonetheless, in recent weeks, Mobley’s had somewhat of an offensive slump and looks to at times be playing a bit hesitant, or is out of sorts. He did have a two-game absence recently in both wins against the Chicago Bulls due to ankle soreness, but in his last eight appearances prior to the past two contests, he had had 10.8 points per game, and has shot only 2.4 free throws per game, in which he hit just 52.6 percent of.
Fortunately, he’s had 17 and 19 points in the past two outings, and generally, the mid-post game from Mobley has still flashed of late, and his passing abilities have continually aided Cleveland. However, there’s been times where he’s seemed to pass up shots, or looking to finish with touch a bit too much, instead of finishing through defenders.
Some of it is Mobley is likely still adjusting to playing with Donovan Mitchell, and there’s been some guys in and out of the lineup with him.
But, in the second half, similarly to Love, Rubio’s playmaking could make a difference for Mobley, and if the confidence from at points earlier on is there, perhaps Mobley can re-establish some rhythm on catch-and-shoot plays from three. That hasn’t been there for an extended period.
In any case, as we’ve alluded to, Mobley is still making plays for the Cavaliers, and his finishing at the rim is still top-notch.
He just needs to be more assertive as a situational driver, and in the second half of the season, look for him to initiate some more at the elbows, whether that’s with him at the 4 or 5.