The Cleveland Cavaliers head into their final two games of 2024 with the best record in the NBA at 27-4. The Cavs are in the midst of their four-game Western Conference road trip, which began with a 149-135 win over the Denver Nuggets.
The trip is far from over, but a completed week means a time to reflect. What were the biggest things we learned about the team last week? Here are the three biggest takeaways from Week 10 of Cavaliers basketball.
1. Donovan Mitchell can still take over
Much has been made about Mitchell’s lighter statistical numbers this season. He is averaging his lowest points per game (PPG) since his rookie season (23.8) and his lowest minutes per game of his career (31.2). At the same time, his efficiency is still up (45.7 percent shooting) and he is shooting a career-high 41.2 percent from three.
In the Cavs' win against the Nuggets, Mitchell showed that he can still take over when his team needs him too. He had 25 points in the first half and finished with 33 points and six three-pointers.
Don’t let the lighter numbers fool you, Mitchell is still Cleveland’s best player and is playing the best all-around basketball of his career. The Cavaliers have more capable hands to get up shots, but when he needs to take over he is quite capable.e4
2. Evan Mobley’s continued offensive growth
The Cavs have finally unlocked Evan Mobley’s offensive game this season and they continue to reap the benefits. In the win against Denver, Mobley had 26 points, five rebounds, six assists, and hit four three-pointers.
Mobley has already surpassed his three-point total from last season (22 makes last season, 31 this season through 31 games) and is shooting a career-high 43.7 percent from range. The key though is that Mobley is shooting them with unwavering confidence and that will continue to help Cleveland.
Mobley knows that his offensive play keeps the Cavs firmly in contender status and has been the catalyst to the team’s league-best start.
3. Shooting, shooting, shooting
Many expected Cleveland’s hot shooting to regress at this point in the season, but that has not yet happened. The Cavs have made at least 20 threes in four straight games, joining the Boston Celtics as the only teams to do that in NBA history.
Cleveland is the only team in the league shooting above 40 percent from three and are third in the league in makes per game (16.3) and sixth in attempts (39.9). In the last couple seasons, the Cavs have ranked near the middle of the pack in terms of three-point shooting.
Cleveland’s perimeter shooting is one of the reasons why they rank first in the league in offensive rating (121.7) and they have shown no signs of slowing down.