Injury issues aren't throwing off Cavs' offensive potential

Yesterday at 02:46 PM

Nearly 30 games into the 2024-25 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled to remain completely healthy. Recently, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson even quipped that whenever Cleveland sees a player return to the floor, they lose another in his place. This joke, sadly, came off the heels of the Cavs welcoming back sharpshooter Max Strus while losing forward Isaac Okoro to a right shoulder injury.

Regardless, despite the injuries, Cleveland is still the NBA’s No. 1 team. However, the Cavs dealing with so many injuries throughout the season that it could hold them back. Despite boasting the league’s best offense, Cleveland not having all hands on deck could keep it from reaching its full potential.

Despite this, it feels like these persistent injuries haven’t done anything to slow the Cavs down. Instead, more often than not, it feels like Cleveland’s offensive dominance is inevitable. In Cleveland’s dominant win over the Philadelphia 76ers, it was the third straight game the Cavs scored more than 120 points. They accomplished this without Okoro and Strus, two integral rotation players.

"I think we have a good variety," said Atkinson. "I don't think it's one thing. We're not completely pick-and-roll, we're not completely transition. We have a pretty good balance in shooting."

How the Cavs have found offensive balance despite constant injuries

To Atkinson’s credit, Cleveland’s maintaining balance in their shot profile is what has made them so dominant. On the perimeter, the Cavs have six players shooting better than 40% on more than two three-point attempts per game. This, in turn, has allowed Cleveland to lead the league in three-point percentage, hitting on 40.5% of their attempts per game.

"When you shoot the three like that, it opens up everything," Atkinson said. "Every guy we throw out there can shoot pretty much. [Jarrett Allen] is probably your only non-three-point shooter. So it gives us a huge advantage."

To complement the three-point shooting-based focus, Cleveland is working to get set on offense and get up their shots quickly. On average, the Cavs take 13.7 seconds of the 24 seconds available to them on offense, which is the sixth-quickest in the NBA. The increased pace has also led to a selfless, team-first identity where everyone on Cleveland’s roster is getting a chance to share offensive responsibilities.

"It doesn't let the defense set up," Cavs star big man Evan Mobley said. "By the time you get down the floor in like six seconds, the defense isn't set. Mismatches that go into it. Once the defense is set it's hard to score in the NBA. So the faster you play, the easier it is."

Is Cleveland’s new-found offensive dynamic sustainable?

Playing with pace and space has been a consistent recipe for success for Cleveland this season. The Cavs’ surgical approach continually creates and exploits mismatches and opportunities, regardless of who is on the floor. It’s leading to consistency and trust in one another, giving Cleveland an added luxury of continuity whenever they’re forced to deal with on-court adversity.

"You're starting to see us have a lot of success and just not getting tired of the repetition," said superstar Donovan Mitchell. "And sometimes it can be monotonous, over and over and over again, but that's what makes you a great team."

While all signs are pointing toward this Cavs team being a serious title threat, most of what they’re doing doesn’t matter unless it translates to the postseason. Right now, it’s only December and although Cleveland is the top dog, it doesn’t mean anything unless the Cavs win it all.

"Ultimately, we'll judge [the offense] by how it transfers to the playoffs," Atkinson said. "That's always in the back of my mind, you know, thinking about the teams we're gonna have to play. How can we even make this better? Because we know the defense, it's a different deal. So that's going to be the big challenge."

The post Injury issues aren’t throwing off Cavs’ offensive potential appeared first on ClutchPoints.