Why Cleveland Cavaliers are taking a slip in NBA power rankings

The Cleveland Cavaliers are tied for 7th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell celebrates after hitting a three point basket against the Golden State Warriors. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers are at a bit of a crossroads at this point in the season, peppering in some quality wins and disappointing losses all at the same time.

Their hot and cold efforts have placed them at No. 17 in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings. This is a two-spot drop from the previous week where the Cavs were ranked No.15.

"The Cavs got one of their best wins of the season on Friday, beating the Spurs with a 39-12 run to start the third quarter. But that was sandwiched by a rest-advantage loss to the Blazers and a rest-disadvantage loss to the Warriors, who were without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Cavs got one of the league’s easiest pair of NBA Cup fill-in games, a trip to Washington on Friday and a home game vs. the Hornets two days later. They’re 7-0 against the six Eastern Conference teams currently below .500, with a 33-point win in their previous visit to Washington."

Cavaliers fall in NBA power rankings after losses to Blazers, Warriors

Something the Cavs have particularly struggled with is their play away from Rocket Arena. The Cavs are 9-6 at home but are just 5-5 on the road so far this season. In particular, their star players tend to not play up to their standards when the Cavs hit the road.

"The Cavs still rank last in the percentage of their *road field goal attempts (21%) that have come in the restricted area, having seen the biggest drop from last season (30.5%, 15th).

Though Jarrett Allen has missed eight of the last nine games overall, he’s still played in eight of the Cavs’ 10 road games. But Evan Mobley has taken just 27% of his (road) shots in the restricted area, down from 44% last season," Schuhmann wrote.

The Cavs still have a long way to go in the regular season, so it is not time to hit the panic button quite yet. However, they do need to show some sign of progress as the calendar turns from 2025 to 2026.

The Cavs are back in action on Friday on the road when they take on the worst team in the Eastern Conference in the Washington Wizards. Then, the Cavs get a chance to return home to face the Charlotte Hornets in a chance to put some tallies in the win column.