The Cleveland Cavaliers desperately needed some momentum after their home blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They clearly got that memo, as they've won four games in a row since giving up 136 points.
Nevertheless, that doesn't mean they're in the clear. While they're 7-3 in the last ten games and riding an impressive winning streak, their defense has left something to be desired. They haven't been atrocious, but they still haven't fully found their rhythm on defense.
The Cavaliers rank 11th in the league over their last 10 games, posting a defensive rating of 114.4. The fact that they've actually been better during that span than in the rest of the season should sound the alarms in the front office.
Cavaliers still need to make some important tweaks on defense
The Cavs have been in the middle of the pack on defense this season. Their defensive rating of 114.8 ranks 14th in the league, down from 112.2 last season, which was the eighth-highest mark. As a result, they've already dropped 20 games.
This team has struggled to get the job done against winning teams. They've gone just 13-16 against teams with a winning record and 15-4 against teams below .500. They've also gone 1-3 in three-point games and 0-2 in overtime.
Adding Lonzo Ball to the mix was supposed to give this team another solid stopper on the perimeter, but that hasn't been the case so far. As for Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, they continue to be a liability on that end of the floor, especially in crunch-time situations.
Evan Mobley is still an elite defensive player, but there's only so much he can do on his own. Kenny Atkinson is known more for his offensive expertise than for building elite defenses, but this team had already shown what they were capable of on that end of the court last season.
The Feb. 5 trade deadline is looming, and the Cavaliers should be quite aggressive. They need to bring in some enforcers, a 3-and-D wing, and someone who can hold his own on the perimeter. Also, adding a defensive-minded backup for Jarrett Allen might not hurt.
Unfortunately, this front office hasn't necessarily been active in trade talks in the post-LeBron James era. They're doing well right now, but they can't rest on their laurels before these defensive woes come back to haunt them in the playoffs.