A month into the 2023-24 NBA season the status of the Cleveland Cavaliers has been questionable. Sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 3-5, this Cavs team looks a little lackluster.
Cleveland was without their starting point guard and center for a few games throughout October. Not having Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen in the lineup impeded their competitiveness, leading to some frustrating losses.
As November begins though, Cleveland looks like they might be shaking off the rust and clicking more as a whole. Currently, for this month, the Cavs have a record of 2-2. Two wins came from beating the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, along with the Golden State Warriors home at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The first loss of this month was against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA’s brand new In-Season Tournament; the second came on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Halloween night saw the Cavs fall to the Knicks at home, but Cleveland took the dub in New York the following day. With a score of 95-89, the Cavs just squeezed the win out. Donovan Mitchell’s 30 points and Caris LeVert’s 19 were key factors. Evan Mobley’s 14 points and 8 rebounds helped as well.
Cleveland’s first In-Season Tournament game did not go how the team had hoped. Coming up short to the Pacers, 121-116, the Cavs were led in scoring again by Mitchell with 38 points. Mobley managed a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Darius Garland did his job at point guard with 14 points and six assists.
Most recently, the Cavs were able to beat the Warriors at home 115-104. Cleveland’s starting five were operating effectively. Garland put up 24 points, along with 7 assists. His partner in the backcourt, Mitchell scored a total of 31 points, with 7 assists as well. Cleveland’s frontcourt showed up too. Evan Mobley scored a total of 13 points and 16 rebounds, while Jarrett Allen totaled 12 points and 9 rebounds. The newest member to the roster and starting lineup, Max Strus, finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Fans know that the NBA is a long season. A lot of basketball is played throughout the year, so trying to make sense of teams’ records this early on does not do much good. At the end of the day, the regular season only matters so much that the Cavs make the playoffs. Last year Cleveland fell to New York in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs.
This year, the focus is on getting back and moving forward. There are fifteen games throughout November. With three games already done, the Cavs have twelve more games this month. Throughout those twelve games, there are three specific players this contributor believes deserve some extra attention.
This article will break down those three players and why Cavs fans should be giving them some extra focus this month. All stats are accurate through Wednesday morning. Starting off, let’s put the attention on one of Cleveland’s starters.
Darius Garland is the first Cavalier fans should have their eyes on throughout this month. Garland would play in the season opener for Cleveland against the Brooklyn Nets, however, he would then go on to miss the next four games due to a hamstring injury. Having been out for several games to start the season, Garland’s presence will definitely be seen on the court as this new month unfolds.
Of the first three games he played in so far Garland has averaged 17.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. He had his best outing so far this year against the Warriors with 24 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists. Last year Darius finished the regular season with an average stat line of 21.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game. Garland has the potential this year to exceed expectations by improving his productivity and efficiency as a passer and scorer.
Darius is the engine that keeps the offense running, and having him back in the lineup will help keep the Cavs competitive. Although Donovan is still the go-to guy for Cleveland, and will likely continue to lead in scoring on an average basis, Darius’ playmaking abilities and overall basketball IQ are essential for this team to succeed.
One area that Garland needs to improve on throughout this month is his three-point shooting. Currently, he’s only shooting beyond the arc an average of 8.3 percent. Considering he had missed a few games, it’s understandable the numbers would skew on the lower side. However, the Cavs cannot operate at their full potential if Garland’s shooting does not get back to where it was last year, or improve from that point. Last season Darius’ three-point shot average was 41 percent, the best of his career thus far. It doesn’t seem too far-fetched to imagine he will get back to that, or even break his career average in shooting.
Cleveland needs the best version of Garland out there on the court. With the full roster finally healthy and altogether, sans Ty Jerome, the Cavs can hope to get the most out of their franchise point guard as the season continues. There were a few moments in the fourth quarter against the Warriors where it looked like Darius might be pulling back. Chalk that up to it being one of his first games back from injury, or just general fatigue.
Either way, the team performs best when Garland is playing at his highest tempo. Fans should expect to see Darius take that leap in performance this year. While Mitchell is having an incredible, MVP-caliber, start to the season, Garland is still the leader of this team. It’s up to him to ensure the team is applying the pressure and operating at a high pace against opponents. Three things to watch out for with Darius Garland for the rest of this month: an increase in three-point shooting, an uptick in attacking the basket with pressure, and more high-IQ assists and playmaking.
Let’s move on to another starter who has been out for a while. It’s time to explore how the Cavs’ defensive identity will continue to develop throughout November.
Jarrett Allen had been on the receiving end of a lot of grief from fans this offseason. Losing to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs was not an ideal way to end last season. Watching Jarrett Allen get pushed around by the Knicks front-court in Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein did not make it any better. Allen inadvertently turned himself into a meme with his “the lights were brighter than I expected” comment in regards to the Cavs’ loss in the postseason.
Despite all that noise and chatter, despite the constant trade rumors, despite fans and analysts claiming Cleveland would be better off without Allen, the big man still finds a way to show everyone just how integral he is to this Cavs defense and the team as a whole.
Cleveland has been on a mission to improve their shooting and lean more into an offensive mindset this year, as seen by the additions made this summer. Their true identity can still be found within their frontcourt. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are perhaps one of the best front-court duos in the league. There are certainly better centers in the NBA, but the role Allen plays for the Cavs is a crucial aspect of the team as a whole.
Last year Jarrett Allen averaged 14.3 points, 1.7 assists, and 9.8 rebounds per game. Putting up a near double-double in points and rebounds last year, Allen managed to dominate in the paint and protect the rim against opponents. This year, in his first two games back, he looks to be on track to continue the trend. So far Allen has averaged 11.0 points, 1.5 assists, and 8.0 rebounds per game this year.
With the addition of Max Strus, the Cavs can expect some more floor spacing to work with. Having a knockdown shooter like Strus gives the other Cavaliers more opportunities to play off of him and get themselves open. Jarrett Allen is a serious vertical threat, and with Strus in the starting lineup, the big man can make the most of the spacing.
Fans should pay extra mind to Jarrett Allen throughout the month of November. Cleveland’s defensive rating should trend upward as Allen and Mobley continue to start together. Three things to watch out for Jarrett Allen throughout the remainder of the games this month are more vertical dominance in the paint, elevated rim protection and defensive rebounds.
Lastly, let’s pivot to a new role player in Cleveland. Fans can hope to see some improvement from this player after a subpar debut.
Georges Niang was one of Cleveland’s newest additions this summer. Niang signed with the Cavs at the beginning of free agency. Niang inked a deal in Cleveland for $26 million for a three-year duration. The biggest draw of Niang was his shooting efficiency. Last year with the Philadelphia 76ers, Georges Niang shot 40.1 percent from three-point range, as well as 44.2 percent at field goal range. As a 6’7″ power forward, that kind of shooting is very impressive. With the absence of Kevin Love on the team, the Cavs were in need of a new big man who could shoot the ball.
Unfortunately, Niang has had somewhat of a slow start in Cleveland. At the moment, his three-point shooting average is 26.5 percent, while his field goal average comes in at 28.8 percent. His shooting has slightly improved though, and will likely continue to trend in a positive direction now that the majority of the team is healthy.
Cleveland has shown that they are trying to utilize more ball movement in their offense this year, and not having your star point guard in recent games has made it difficult for players like Niang to push the pace and get their shots off. With Garland back though, fans can expect to see Niang get into a more comfortable rhythm with his shooting.
Georges Niang will benefit from playing in lineups with Darius Garland, as well as Cleveland’s defensive anchors Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. While Niang is still more valuable coming off the bench, the Cavs should experiment with him playing alongside some of the starters. J.B. Bickerstaff can utilize Niang in some creative ways by getting him more minutes with the starting lineup.
Fans should keep an eye out for Georges Niang to get more comfortable with his new team this month. Three things to watch out for with Niang in November are an upward trend in three-point shooting, more floor spacing, and an overall increase in scoring.
As the Cavs start their four-game road trip out West, there will be plenty of challenges for them to face. For the month of November, fans should keep their eyes, especially on Georges Niang, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland.