The Cleveland Cavaliers’ offense has struggled at the start of the season. They come into Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks 13th in offensive rating after having one of the best offensive ratings
in league history last season. Part of those struggles is due to the three-point shot not falling like it did last season, part of that is due to not having their All-Star guard, and part of that may just be their offensive process.
“We’re 12th in the league in three-point shot quality,” Head coach Kenny Atkinson said when asked whether he likes the three-point looks his team has generated so far this season. “But we want to be top five.”
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Right now, the Cavs are 20th in location effective field goal percentage. That stat looks at what the team’s effective field-goal percentage would be shooting if they shot league average at that spot. It’s not a perfect stat, but it does back up Atkinson’s assertion that the team isn’t currently getting the highest quality shots at this time.
The biggest reason why the Cavs are so low in that category, despite shooting the most threes in the league, is the fact that they’re taking the third-fewest shots at the rim. Last year, they were 15th in that category.
“I tell the guys all the time, you got to read what the game gives you,” Atkinson said. “And it’s not as simple as like, ‘Hey, we’re going to get to the rim every time.’ It’s not that simple. There are teams, the Miamis of the world, where they’re selling out to protect the rim. Milwaukee sells out to protect the rim. Those games, you might have to shoot 60 threes.”
That said, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to get to the basket more, even against teams that sell out to stop the three-ball.
“The one I’m hitting our guys with is just in transition,” Atkinson said. “I feel like we’re just running to the three-point line. Guys, we can run for a layup too. You know, that’s a better shot. Like the old three-on-two, you jump stop at the foul line, bounce pass, and lay it up.
“So it’s part of this kind of the league mentality right now. I just think in every little area, every offensive area, we can do a little better getting to the rim. And we’re really trying to emphasize that with our guys. But again, there’s some spacing things out there. We got some young guys out there. They kind of stay in the paint. So until you make the threes, they (their defenders) won’t go out.”
Some of the Cavs’ issues stem from not hitting outside shots. It’s a make-or-miss league, and the Cavaliers are simply missing more of their outside shots now than they were last year. Things would look a lot different if they were shooting the 38.3% from three they did last year instead of the 34.7% they’re shooting now. But that isn’t the only issue.
Right now, the offense is simply a work in progress.
“It’s just finding that balance,” Atkinson said.
