No. 3: Perimeter defense
Cleveland’s reputation as the second-best defensive rating of 30 teams is primarily the work of Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and some others who operate the backline. Guarding the perimeter doesn’t go as smoothly. Point-of-attack defenders, in moments, too quickly are comfortable with a switch because they don’t want to fight over a screen. It’ll work against some, but not all. Cleveland’s starting backcourt is so tiny not one of them should be trusted to switch on forwards.
The most effective way to work around that is to play it like the old-timers, pick a man, and torment him by staying in front. Allen and Mobley are capable of changing matchups, but when they come outside, an opening of the interior is neglected.
Even with this happening often, Cleveland still holds terrific rebounding numbers. It is worth noting that in Cleveland’s 20 losses this season, and most recently in OKC, attacking the glass has been one of the deciding factors. The Thunder beat them on the boards by nine. In defeats this year, the Cavs’ rebounding percentage is 48.7. In wins, 52.3%.
Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are as ignitable as it gets with the ball in their hands. But the other side isn’t a strength. Even on some possessions, a solid closeout is not enough because their matchup’s release point on the jumper extends higher than the defense’s fingertips.
Rivals average 37.3% efficiency from 3-point range, fourth-worst in the league, when matched up with the Cavs, but on 31.8 tries, the fifth-fewest in the NBA.
Defending this area is as challenging as ever because this is the spacing era, and the rules favor the offensive player. Yet, one simple fundamental, sometimes forgotten by Cleveland’s perimeter protectors, is that they leave the ground too often on a hard closeout or biting on a fake.
This season, I’ve lost count of how many times I witnessed the Cavaliers or players around the league get faked almost out of bounds.
The latest Cavalier to make this uncomplicated mistake was Raul Neto on Friday in Cleveland’s road loss at the Oklahoma City Thunder. His man, OKC’s Aaron Wiggins, was in the right corner as he over-helped on Jalen Williams, turning a screen at the key. The ball handler found the open man, but Raul zipped by recklessly leaving the ground. He managed to bother the drive but being out of position allowed Williams to score.
Apart from the dub, the Thunder hung 50 points in the Cavs’ box. Any criticisms about what went wrong should start with the guys who are supposed to stop the ball up top. They were seeing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the Great, no simple task, but when Allen and Mobley play, the most points allowed in the square should be 40.
Possibly, one of the culprits for Cleveland’s abysmal perimeter defense is that teams don’t practice as much as they used to all across the league. Much of this involves groups shielding the players from wear and tear, but this method is a double-edged blade.
The best way to get better is to stay on the court.