Good morning. It’s Wednesday, November 19. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 10-5. They play at home against the Houston Rockets today.
The First Sip
The Cavs set the league ablaze last season when they began the year 15-0 behind an elite offense. Three-point shots were falling, the ball was buzzing, and no one could keep up with the Cavs’ rotating gauntlet of shot creators.
This season couldn’t feel more different.
The Cavs are still launching three-pointers. At a league-high rate, actually. But they are only making 35%
of their 45 attempts per game. That dichotomy isn’t anything to be happy about. And it’s the primary reason they are 13th in offensive rating according to Cleaning the Glass after sitting high above the pack in first place last season.
Things have changed since last season. The Cavs couldn’t be any clearer about that. But the fact remains that this squad has gotten away from certain elements that felt integral to their success a year ago. Tapping back into at least some of that has to be on their minds.
“Well, we’re 12th in the league in three-point shot quality,” Kenny Atkinson said before Cleveland’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. “But, we want to be top five, you know? I tell the guys all the time, you’ve got to read what the game gives you.”
The Cavs have fallen to 27th in rim frequency this season, down from 15th the year before. Having Darius Garland back can help with some of this. But getting to the rim more often isn’t always as simple as it sounds.
“It’s not as simple as we’re going to get to the rim every play,” Atkinson said. “There are teams, the Miamis of the world, where they’re just selling out to protect the rim. Milwaukee sells out to protect the rim; those games, you might have to shoot 60 threes.”
Cleveland found a healthier balance in their win over the Bucks on Monday. They attempted only 35 three-pointers, tied for their fewest of the season so far. They also scored 54 points in the paint, 4th most this season.
“I feel like it’s coming and then we regress back,” Atkinson said about the Cavs finding their groove. “There were pockets of that game where I felt like we did [figure things out]… Our talent level is such that we can still eek out wins, but we all know collectively we have to be better.”
