After a pretty pitiful showing on the national stage in Boston, the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to right the ship as they face the Toronto Raptors in the first Group Play matchup for the NBA Cup.
Who:
Cleveland Cavaliers (3-2) vs Toronto Raptors (1-4)
Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH
When: Friday October 31 at 7:30pm EST
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass
Line: Cavs -7
Cavs Injury Report: Donovan Mitchell – QUESTIONABLE (hamstring), Jarrett Allen – QUESTIONABLE (finger), Darius Garland – OUT (toe), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Sam Merrill – OUT (hip)
Raptors Injury Report: Jakob Poeltl – OUT (back), AJ Lawson – OUT (G League), Chucky Hepburn – OUT (G League), Alijah Martin – OUT (G League)
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What to watch for
Can the offense figure it out?
It has been a slow start to the season for the Cavaliers’ offense. The team ranks 17th in points per game, 18th in field goal percentage, and 18th in offensive rating. That is in stark contrast to what they looked like last year, which was a historically great offense. While nobody expected the Cavs to be historical once again (at least while injured at the start of the season), the current version is less than optimal.
Of course, Donovan Mitchell is the engine that powers this sports car (well, right now it’s like a slightly used Honda Accord), but he is iffy to play at the time of this writing. That puts all of the onus on Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter, plus the bench unit. Mobley has looked more up to the task of carrying on offense, but Hunter goes through bouts of selfishness where he won’t just not pass the ball — but won’t even look at anyone else on his team. Jarrett Allen may be joining his counterpart, Jakob Poeltl, on the sidelines in street clothes as he nurses a fractured finger.
The Cavs have not played their brand of basketball so far this season. They look very clunky and disjointed, with very little of the flow that was seen last season. They are 17th in assists per game and seem to not be making the extra passes. Not having Darius Garland certainly continues to loom large, as his ball-handling and passing, not to mention shooting, would be a shot in the arm right now.
The good news for the Cavs is that the Raptors have the third-worst defense in the NBA, are dead last in rebounds, and almost dead last in offensive rebounds. This would be a great opportunity for a get-right game, and it couldn’t come a moment too soon.
Who steps up off the bench?
Let’s say Allen is out, which may be expected given the nature of his injury. That means Dean Wade likely enters the starting lineup while Mobley slides to center. That leaves Lonzo Ball, Craig Porter, Larry Nance Jr., and Tyrese Proctor as the bench unit. Three point guards and a front court connector who has not played more than 17 minutes in a game this season. Thomas Bryant and Luke Travers are “break glass in case of emergency” players, and that emergency is likely the Cavs being down a ton of points.
Perhaps this is opportunity knocking at Nae’Qwan Tomlin’s door. He has not appeared in a game this season but has some size and an offensive game that could be helpful against a porous Raptors defense.
What if Mitchell needs to sit out as well? Proctor has not been particularly good, but he has some size in the back court and had a solid preseason. Porter has done this song and dance before, filling in for Garland in the past, to some success. Ball’s offense has not materialized so far this season, but now would be a great time for him to start hitting shots.
