A big part of the Cleveland Cavaliers offense to start the season has been launching the ball off the catch from beyond the arc. It has also been an area in which the team has struggled mightily. That is a surprising development considering how great they were at that same facet last season.
Everyone has been talking about the injuries this season as the most obvious standout of the early adversity that Cleveland has faced in 2025-26. With players popping in and out of the lineup, or being absent altogether, Kenny Atkinson's electric offense from last season has gone missing.
The Cavaliers had the best offensive rating in the 2024-25 regular season with a mark of 121.0. Despite the disappointing playoff exit, that held true during the postseason too, as Cleveland led all 16 teams with an uptick to 122.6 in that same category.
A vital component of that success was letting it fly from deep last season. The Cavaliers were top 10 in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers attempted, and fifth in the NBA when it came to the percentage they dropped at, registering a mark of 39.3 percent. That success has not been replicated in 2025-26.
Cavaliers shooting struggles look like a short-term, fixable problem
It's not like the personnel has changed much in Cleveland over the offseason. Isaac Okoro is gone and so is Ty Jerome, but that should not break the Cavaliers' outside shooting. Despite that, the team has dropped significantly.
The Cavaliers are actually attempting even more shots from distance than they did last season on the catch and shoot. The percentage at which those shots are falling down through the hoop is much lower. It's actually done a complete 180 of sorts.
Cleveland went from having one of the most efficient clips on those catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts to being a lot closer to the bottom of the league so far. Conventional wisdom should suggest that is not a trend that will hold.
Darius Garland's return will play a heavy factor in not only having his own 3-point shooting boost that category, but creating those opportunities for others. Max Strus will also inevitably return from his foot injury and provide a consistency from 3-point land that will elevate the Cavaliers.
Cleveland have the players needed to execute what they want to from an offensive standpoint. It is just a matter of health and consistency for them to flip the script and deliver.