Nothing about the Cleveland Cavaliers offense screams sustainable in a playoff setting. With postseason success being the ultimate goal in Cleveland, even with all of their struggles, they need to evolve.
With an offensive rating of 115.8, hovering around the top-10, the results could certainly be much worse than they have been. Beyond those numbers, the issue is with how quickly this will all fizzle for the Cavaliers when it matters most.
Cleveland has not just built their offense on the 3-point shot, but they have relied on it to a point of fault. They are chucking 44.1 attempts per game from beyond the arc at an inefficient clip of 33.9 percent. Their effective field goal percentage as a team is only 53.7.
A big part of the problem is the lack of dynamic slashers on the roster capable of creating offensive breakdowns. The Cavaliers average only 43.8 drives per game, ranking in the bottom-10 of the NBA. Whether it be a stylistic approach, or a personnel change, the Cavs must get more in that department.
Cavaliers need an aggressive offensive attack that creates better openings
The Cavaliers want to shoot the 3-point ball, a lot. That, in itself, is not necessarily the main problem here. It's the quality of looks that has been the issue.
When the Cavaliers were getting good opportunities in 2024-25, they hit 38.3 percent of their 41.5 attempts per game from 3-point land. The barrage that has happened for Cleveland this season has involved a lot of settling.
The Cavaliers are not looking for the best shot. They are taking what they can get from defenses.
In 2024-25, the Cavaliers were one of the best teams in the NBA when it came to their activity level in searching for the best shot available. That same drives per game category they struggle with this season was something they were elite at last year.
51.2 was the average drives the Cavaliers enjoyed during the last campaign. That ranked sixth in the entire NBA.
This is a point at which not having someone like Ty Jerome hurts you. The former Cavs guard was third on the team last season, averaging 8.4 drives per game to support Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell as the main two forces in the category for Cleveland.
Is this something the Cavaliers can fix internally? If not, whatever ammunition Koby Altman has for the trade market should not ignore the glaring need that Cleveland has here.