Right when the Cleveland Cavaliers seemed to have found their groove, the season took a turn for the worse. Cleveland has lost 10 of its last 13 games, and a majority of its skid has occurred on the road. Facing off against some of the league's best teams out west, the Cavs seem overwhelmed. The road trip exposed the team’s glaring weaknesses, many of which can’t be covered up with a Band-Aid.
Andre Drummond
Drummond may be stellar on defense, but defense is only half the battle.
The center has never been known for his offensive game. His field goal percentage so far this season is a career low of 47.4%. That isn’t good for a 6-foot-10 center. Throughout this season he has taken shots that aren’t usually in his repertoire, whether it be driving layups or putbacks with two or three defenders on him. Drummond should not be taking the ball up. It never ends well for him.
His free throw abilities aren’t much better. Since the 2016-17 season, Drummond has shot from the charity stripe around five times per game but has never had a free throw percentage higher than 60%.
Drummond is currently on the trading block, but the Cavaliers have struggled to find any trading partners.
Offensive Struggles
Before its 3-10 skid, Cleveland was on a roll on offense. It’s roster was full of electrifying fastbreaks and a dominant pick and roll game, but it has fallen apart in February.
In previous seasons the Cavaliers were notorious for a weak 3-point percentage, and this season they seemed to have fixed that. Its young guards appeared to have found a groove behind the arc . With the help of Dylan Windler and Cedi Osman, the Cavaliers were shooting well for a moment. The 3-point shooting opened the floor for players like Jarrett Allen and Collin Sexton to dominate in the paint.
But out of nowhere, the 3-pointers suddenly stopped. Over that 3-10 run the Cavs have shifted to an array of mid-range jumpers and as such have lost the momentum they once had.
Lack Of Defense
The old saying “defense wins championships” is as true as ever, and it appears the Cavs forgot that rule. Drummond may have been the defensive anchor that he was believed to be. Since Drummond was benched, the problems on defense have gotten worse.
To add salt to the wound, Larry Nance Jr has been out with a wrist injury since Jan. 31. Nance was at one point leading the league in steals, and his injury has been a huge loss to the Cavaliers. Without Nance, they are not as motivated as they once were. Something needs to change or the draft pick speculation will be back quicker than expected.
Ben Belinger is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Ben? Email him @bb838219@ohio.edu
