Biggest Concern For Cavaliers As Regular Season Comes To A Close

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had one of the worst defenses in the NBA since the All-Star Break.

Apr 3, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) protects the ball from Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Playoffs are coming fast. The Cleveland Cavaliers have just five regular season games left, but the alarm bells are going off. They got blown out by the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night and saw a near 30-point deficit for the third time in the last seven games. 

The offense hasn’t been great. But with a roster full of shooters and playmakers such as Donovan Mithcell, Darius Garland, Max Strus, and Caris LeVert, fans should feel fairly confident that they’ll figure that part out. 

However, one area that has become a troublesome trend for Wine and Gold is their struggling defense.

Not only has Cleveland’s defense been bad since the All-Star Break, it’s been one of the worst in the league. The Cavaliers have had a defensive rating of 115.5 since the middle of February which is bottom five in the entire NBA. Cleveland is allowing their opponents to shoot 47 percent from the field and 39 percent from behind the arc in this stretch.

Even when their opponents aren’t making shots, their getting more opportunities to do so in the same possession. Cleveland is giving up 13.3 second-chance points a game. 

Apr 3, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) protects the ball from Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) during the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

All of this is even more staggering when you remember that just a couple of months ago the Cavs were regarded as one of the best defenses in the game and were constantly holding teams to under 100 points. 

One explanation for this may come back to what’s plagued this team since opening night: injuries. Dean Wade (who has the best defensive rating on the Cavs and in the NBA) has missed the last 14 games and it looks like he’ll miss at least the rest of the regular season. Then there is Isaac Okoro who has been sidelined with a toe injury.

Cleveland’s defense can’t solely fall on these two players though. Evan Mobley is an All-NBA Defensive Team caliber player, Jarrett Allen has proven himself to be an effective rim protector in the past, and the rest of the roster is just going to have to step up at this point.

No matter how good the offense is in the playoffs, the Cavs could be faced with another early exit if they can’t figure it out on defense.