When thinking about the current era of the Cleveland Cavaliers, what comes to mind? Some may say the double bigs, others may highlight last year’s historic regular season. Whatever the case may be, the foundation of the team relies on the guard play of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Garland underwent surgery on his left toe on July 7. Cavs Head Coach Kenny Atkinson has said that Garland will return soon, and it couldn’t come at a better time.
Max Strus, Sam Merrill, Jarrett Allen, and Mitchell have all missed at least one game to start the year. As injuries begin to plague the city of Cleveland, the Cavaliers will need Garland to keep the season afloat.
Lack of Offensive Consistency
Sustaining offense has been the Achilles heel for the Cavs in a disappointing start to the season. In the Brooklyn game, after entering the fourth quarter with a 22-point lead, Cleveland found itself up by a single point. They would go on to win the game by only seven points.
After having the top offense in the league last season, Atkinson’s system has struggled to find its consistency. After six games, Cleveland has posted the 24th-ranked offense. Garland’s 20.6 points and 6.7 assists per game are sorely missed as they have asked Mobley and Mitchell to step up during his absence.
Mobley has been tasked with creating offense on his own to start the year. While he has had some moments, ultimately, it has resulted in more difficult shots than he is used to. His 56.8 TS% is evidence of his struggles.
In past seasons, the Cavs have implemented a staggering rotation with the “Core Four.” Mitchell and Mobley would sub out first, while Garland and Allen stay paired together. With Darius out, Kenny has had to come up with a new rotation to sustain offense when Mitchell has to rest.
As of November 1, when Mitchell is off the court, the Cavs are 16.7 points worse per 100 possessions. Lonzo Ball has produced a mixed bag, making plays for others and on defense. However, he has been fighting efficiency, posting a 40 eFG%, putting him in the 12th percentile for his position.
Upon Garland’s return, the Cavs should be able to return to their normal rotation and possess more sources of shot creation throughout the course of the game.
What About the Paint?
A noticeable trend of the young season is the lack of shots at the rim. Without Garland’s pick-and-roll excellence, the team ranks 25th in shots at the rim. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen’s lack of easy shots has been standing out. Both are shooting career low attempts at the rim so far.
Allen is shooting 55% of his shots at the rim, down from 71% the season prior. Mobley has shot 34% of his shots at the rim, down from 52% last year.
Garland’s pick-and-roll ability opens up his floater/lob pass disguise game that has helped him earn two All-Star selections. While the Cavs have evolved into a team that shoots a lot of threes, this year, they’ve accounted for 47% of their shots.
When healthy, the Cavs can return to getting their bigs more simple looks, allowing Mobley to get back to his elite play in the play-finisher role.
Optimistic Outlook
Evan Mobley’s self-creation experiment hasn’t gone as well as fans have hoped for, but it can pay dividends as the season ages. Should more players miss time, he can step back into the role after learning from the early-season experiences.
Garland’s return could be the boost that the team has been craving. If he can look like he did last year or during his original 2022 all-star season, then the Cavs could return to their conference finals hopeful aspirations.
With all of the injuries affecting the team, a clean bill of health is at the top of priorities. Mitchell’s latest injury could seriously impact the Cavs, and Garland is going to have to be the guy to help dig them out of their rut. He has proven that he can lead an offense to the playoffs, and after yet another early playoff exit last year, he should be extra motivated.
Cleaning up the Cavs’ shot profile is something that Garland excels at and should be able to impact immediately. His ability to “break the paint” forces defenses to move and open up opportunities for others that just haven’t been available.
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