For the first time since February 4th, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost a game. The Cavs closed out the week with a 108-103 loss to the Orlando Magic and saw their 16-game winning streak snapped. Cleveland was without All-Star forward Evan Mobley, but also shot the ball very poorly, going 10-of-40 from three-point range.
It may not have been an undefeated week, but there was still a lot that we learned about Cleveland this week. What were the big themes? Here are the three biggest takeaways from week 21 of Cavaliers basketball.
1. Evan Mobley is Cleveland’s most important player
Evan Mobley is the Cavs’ most important player. He may not be their best player, as that honor belongs to Donovan Mitchell, but in order for the Cavaliers to realize their championship dreams, they’re going to need Mobley. The big man was coming off back-to-back 20-point games before sitting out against the Magic on Sunday.
In games Mobley misses this year, Cleveland is 5-3. In all other games they are 51-8. In those eight games without Mobley, the Cavs slide from seventh in defensive rating with Mobley to 14th without him. This includes games where they gave up 126 to the Bulls, 132 to the Sixers, and 117 twice to the Wolves and the Bulls once more.
Against Orlando on Sunday, the Cavs did miss Mobley offensively, especially in the fourth quarter. The Magic were able to cut off the rim with Jarrett Allen on the floor, leaving Cleveland with a four-out, one-in look to close the game instead of a five-out look. Mobley’s ability to create off the dribble, stretch the floor, and be an offensive hub was greatly missed and it cost the Cavs the game down the stretch.
2. Sam Merrill has found his shot
Last season, it felt like Sam Merrill could not miss. However, to start this season, Merrill struggled to find consistency with his shot and shot 26 percent from three-point range for the month of January. For the last month, Merrill has been on a heater.
Since February 1st, Merrill is averaging about nine points per game and is shooting a blistering 46 percent from three-point range on about five attempts per game. In that same span, Merrill has had nine games of making three or more three-pointers and five games of shooting 60 percent or better from three (not counting games where he went 1/1).
Merrill is a key reserve for the Cavs and him finding his shot again is an important development. Having him as a weapon in any playoff series is a nice luxury for head coach Kenny Atkinson to have.
3. Blueprint for beating the Cavs?
In most of Cleveland’s losses this season, a couple of big themes have been prevalent as to why they lost.
One is ball pressure. When teams pressured the Cavs, causing them to get into their sets slower, they have been able to wreak havoc. A couple of examples include the early season losses to the Pacers and Hawks and Sunday’s game against the Magic. Teams usually put their longer, lengthier defenders on Cleveland’s smaller guards in Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, which causes some issues.
The second one is shooting variance. The Cavs are at the top of the league in three-pointers made and percentage. However, when they make ten threes or less, they are only 2-2 on the season.
The good news is that Cleveland was generating good looks against Orlando, they just were not falling. Additionally, they have shown that they can win slower-paced games throughout the season and now that they have more length on the wing, they can combat physical teams when they are healthy. However, those themes are just something to keep an eye on as the Cavs head toward the playoffs.