The preseason is wrapping up, and the Cleveland Cavaliers will open their regular season on the road against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 25.
Following an eventful offseason, the Cavaliers enter the year with newfound offensive versatility from deep and internal growth from their star-studded core. In the preseason, Cleveland had an opportunity to see how the newest members of the team fit the system. While Max Strus and Georges Niang were the most intriguing additions, combo guard Ty Jerome made his impact as a backup behind Darius Garland to lead the second unit.
While the Cavs showed the offseason improvements in the preseason, the regular season will put them through a new slate of challenges, testing the cohesion they built over the summer. In their first 10 games, Cleveland will square off against top teams, including a back-to-back against the New York Knicks, the team that sent the Cavs packing after a five-game series.
Additionally, the Cavs will play the Golden State Warriors twice and the Sacramento Kings once in their first 10 games. With a tough opening schedule, Cleveland will be put through the ringer early. If they want to be a serious contender, they will need to come out and take the season serious. They will not have time to work their way into the 82-game marathon, as an early slide in the standings could mean another failed playoff appearance.
With so much discussion and proclamations this summer about the team’s improvements and growth, now is the time to prove that. Otherwise, the Cavaliers will have a long summer ahead of them once again. If they believe last year’s playoffs was not a fluke, they have to show that this year.
Under their circumstances, the Cavaliers will have plenty to prove in the early season. As the regular season begins, there will be critical elements of the team’s play that could hint to bigger implications later down the road.
The first has to do with Cleveland’s frontcourt.
The Cavs ended last season with the league’s best defense thanks to the efforts of both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley as constant presences in the paint.
In the playoffs, though, the duo’s lack of floor spacing was exposed every game as the Knicks swarmed the paint, daring Mobley, Allen or Isaac Okoro to take a deep shot. The poor spacing led to uncoordinated defense, pushing Mobley and Allen out of place for defensive rebounds. Eventually, their struggles allowed the Knicks to collect far too many offensive boards and overwhelm Cleveland’s frontcourt.
Entering this season, Allen and Mobley will have a knockdown shooter on the wing in Max Strus, along with Georges Niang and Dean Wade off the bench. If they’re going to make it work together, this is the year to prove it.
Both players are still young, but it is unlikely either will develop a 3-point shot this year. They will have to find a creative solution to their continued shortcoming. While the Cavaliers’ defense is best with both players on the court, Cleveland may opt to stagger minutes between the two, giving both of them an opportunity to play with an open lane and great options around them.
With Jarrett Allen’s absence in the preseason, Cleveland experimented with an array of lineups that capitalized on the improved long range shooting, placing Mobley at the focal point of the offensive attack as both a scorer and facilitator. Once Allen returns, the Cavs will be forced to find a way to continue their offensive versatility with two non-shooters in the starting lineup.
The ongoing struggles in a double center lineup might rear their ugly head once again, forcing the Cavaliers to make a difficult decision by the trade deadline.
Throughout the 2022-23 season, the Cavaliers ranked 25th in the NBA in points per contest, scoring only 112.3 points per game. They managed to compensate with their stellar defense, only allowing 106.5 points per game against them.
The Cavaliers’ sluggish 96.27 pace placed them last in the NBA in pacing and led to their low scoring averages. In the playoffs, the New York Knicks predicted Cleveland’s halfcourt offense to a T, forcing them into last second contested shots and frustrating misses time and time again.
One of the driving factors in acquiring Max Strus was his constant motor on both ends of the court. His talent as a motion shooter and athletic slasher gives the Cavaliers an offensive weapon they did not have last year. Oftentimes, Cleveland’s pace slowed because of the suffocating interior defenses teams could implement without the threat of a 3-point onslaught in return. Strus and Niang should fix this, if the Cavaliers can actually take advantage of it.
The player with the best chance to change this for Cleveland is star point guard Darius Garland. As the on-court leader and primary coordinator, Garland is in prime position to push the pace for the Cavs, pressuring opponents to contest him on a drive and leave somebody open on the arc.
A faster pace will not magically make Cleveland the Eastern Conference favorites, but running rather than walking up the court can open up their options to maximize the wealth of talent on the roster. The Cavs will not be topping the league in pace, but a better rhythm on offense will help Garland dissect the defense and find the open shot or teammate.
The season is nearly underway, and the Cavaliers look immensely improved from last. Their playoff failures need to be a motivator this year, correcting their flaws and making the right plays. It starts with Garland as the captain of the offense and with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to call the right X’s and O’s. Otherwise, a failed year could lead to palpable changes in Cleveland.
The first week of action will be critical for the rest of the season, and a strong start could prove the Cavaliers have what it takes to compete against the best of the best.