The Cleveland Cavaliers have fallen in love with the 3-point shot in the 2025-26 NBA season. The problem is there being a real question here of whether that shot loves them back.
The Cavaliers are leading the NBA in 3-point attempts per game, averaging 44.0 a night. In theory, there is evidence that a championship can be won with that kind of offensive approach. The Boston Celtics did it in 2023-24, leading the league with 42.5 attempts per game from beyond the arc.
Cleveland is just not making those opportunities count at the rate one would hope. The Cavaliers are knocking down 34.3 percent of their shots from deep, ranking 22nd in the NBA this season. By contrast, the Celtics were second in 2023-24 in that same category with a mark of 38.8 percent.
When 47.7 percent of your total shots taken, the third highest mark in the league, are coming from 3-point land, one would hope for a much better percentage than what is currently there. The Cavaliers have one of two options: start knocking them down or start taking those attempts from elsewhere.
Cavaliers are stuck in a one-sided love with the 3-point shot
Cleveland has five players on their roster who are averaging 5-plus 3-point attempts per game from downtown to start the year. Only two of them are shooting a respectable percentage on those shots taken.
Donovan Mitchell, who has about half of his shots coming from behind the 3-point line, is shooting 38.5 percent. That is steady, but may prove troublesome once postseason basketball rolls around.
Sam Merrill has easily been the Cavaliers' best shooter when factoring in volume and efficiency. Merrill is connecting on a blistering-hot 44.4 percent while shooting 8.3 attempts per game. The Cavaliers guard has also been absent for a sustained stretch due to injury.
So, what about the other three? De'Andre Hunter is only making 31.1 percent of his 6.3 attempts. Darius Garland is popping 32.1 percent of his 5.9 shots from deep. Lonzo Ball is shooting a dreadful 26.6 percent of his 5.2 attempts.
As far as percentages go, the Cavaliers actually have two players shooting above 40-percent who would benefit from a bump in volume.
Jaylon Tyson's incredible sophomore season comes with him leading the team at 46.7 percent from behind the arc, attempting 4.6 shots a night. Craig Porter Jr. is shooting 42.4 percent on his 3-point attempts, but the Cavs backup guard is only taking 1.5 of those when thrust into action.
There is a general mismatch here for the Cavaliers in effectiveness all over the place, in terms of maximizing their current shot diet. There are areas in which they have struggled as a team overall too. The Cavs are only making 34.9 percent of their catch-and-shoot 3s, the sixth worst mark in the NBA.
In spite of this, Cleveland is hovering around the top-10 with their offense overall, suggesting a few tactful changes could go a long way. Amid an underwhelming 14-11 start, recalculating, or at least questioning, the reliability of their approach is more than worth the time.