The Cleveland Cavaliers carved out a respectable season last year. They posted a 48-34 win-loss card and made it to the 2024 NBA playoffs. While they managed to beat the Orlando Magic in the first round, they needed seven games to eliminate the five seed. Afterwards, they were blasted by the Boston Celtics in the second round, conceding in five games.
While it was a respectable performance, especially in the post-LeBron era, the Cavs had a chance to re-jig their roster during the offseason to address their main weakness, which is talent fit. However, the Cavs are opting to run it back, which might come to bite them once again this year. Although the Cavs' roster is filled with All-Star caliber players and young talent, it's also littered with redundancy that negatively affects their production.
Terrible 2024 NBA Playoff Showing
The biggest eyebrow-raiser from this Cavs team was their measly showing during the 2024 NBA playoffs. As mentioned previously, the Cavs barely got past the fifth-seeded Orlando Magic in the first round which required seven games. Shortly after, the Cavs suffered a second-round playoff exit at the hands of the eventual 2024 NBA champions, the Boston Celtics finished the Cavs off in five games.
Although the Celtics were a loaded team and the Cavs dealt with an injury bug, it's clear as day that the Cavs have an issue with their collection of talent. While the Cavs have a ton of players who are great with their respective specialties, they struggled to play as a team. Make no mistake, a playoff run that went into the second round was a respectable feat for a dark horse Eastern conference team like the Cavs. However, with a team led by four All-Stars coupled with a good collection of young talent, the Cavs had all the tools to carve out a deeper run.
During the offseason, the Cavs had their chances to make some changes to their roster. Furthermore, it looked like they also had the intention to pull off some major roster moves. However, at the end of the offseason, the Cavs are looking to run it back. With the Cavs maintaining their roster, expect the same problems to surface once again.
Unproductive All-Star backcourt duo
In terms of fit, one of the most glaring issues about the Cavs is their backcourt tandem of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. Garland loves to take long range bombs off the dribble, while taking up playmaking duties. Unfortunately, his backcourt partner Mitchell can also only be effective offensively with the rock in his hands. In fact, some NBA fans may argue that they both have relatively the same playstyle.
With Mitchell's playstyle, this has forced Garland to be a catch-and-shoot three-point shooter, which has hurt the Cavs. In fact, at one point last year, he was only shooting 30% in catch-and-shoot situations.
After a disappointing second round exit, the Cavs had a chance to tackle this problem. Several NBA teams were interested in Garland, while Mitchell and the Cavs were in talks for an extension. At the end, the Cavs opted not to trade away Garland for now. On the other hand, the squad signed Mitchell to a three-year contract extension worth $150.3 million. It's worth noting that Garland's chances to leave the team were high after Mitchell's signing, but the Cavs managed to retain the services of their backcourt duo.
The redundancy is evident in the Cavs backcourt. However, with the team running it back, it seems that one of Mitchell or Garland must transform their game in order to become an effective duo.
Traditional frontcourt pairing
If the problems in the backcourt weren't enough, the Cavs also have problems of fit regarding their front court of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Although these two players have been effective on the defensive end with their elite rim protection, they do offer problems offensively.
In the modern NBA, big men are often required to shoot from the perimeter from time to time to space the floor. Unfortunately, both Allen and Mobley don't have any perimeter shot to demand respect from that region. As a result, the Cavs are forced to deal with limited spacing which leads to terrible shot attempts that are often well-contested.
Allen is an All-Star caliber big man, while Mobley is showing all the tools to be a future cornerstone for the Cavs. It would certainly be difficult to let go of any of the two big men. Nonetheless, the Cavs did think about trading Allen, especially after last year's playoff run. Allen reportedly opted to refuse an injection that would numb the pain caused by his rib injury. His refusal rubbed the Cavs the wrong way, sparking trade rumors in the offseason.
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