The Glaring Hole Left on the Cavaliers’ Roster With the Offseason Winding Down

It’s safe to say the Cleveland Cavaliers have completed their business this offseason; however, one position remains unmanned.

Their main goal was to lure LeBron James back home, but it didn’t work. But that didn’t mean the Cavs weren't successful; they got Peyton Watson and Mario Hezonja, and they cleared salary by sending away Max Strus, Dean Wade, Dennis Schroder, Cam Whitmore, and Tre Mann.

It leaves Cleveland in a relatively healthy spot ahead of training camp and preseason. Adjustments, shaking off the cobwebs and learning each other’s roles will now be a focus of head coach Kenny Atkinson, but while his issue of a wing player is sorted – of sorts – there is now a new issue that the Cavaliers will need to work on ahead of the regular season.

This means Donovan Mitchell and James Harden will be back in roles they aren't built for, but are used to.

Lack of a natural floor general

Ever since the Cavs traded All-Star point guard Darius Garland to the Clippers in early February for James Harden, they have been lacking a true point guard. Schroder came on board, but he was always going to be a role player off the bench.

As the German’s season with Cleveland progressed, he became more and more of a cameo player, needed for five to 10 minutes per game.

It made sense to release Schroder this offseason to ease the overloaded salary the team has, and while it was expected for the Cavaliers to also get rid of Mann, it left them without a recognized point guard.

That means point guard responsibilities fall to Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, but primarily to the former. A position Mitchell has filled but isn’t accustomed for.

Why is this an issue?

Mitchell has averaged 4.8 assists per game over his career, a number that climbed to 5.7 last season.

Interestingly, that figure drops to 4.4 assists in the playoffs, and his postseason assist numbers have steadily declined throughout his time in Cleveland, from 7.2 to a shocking 3.1 last season.

That decline isn't because Mitchell is unwilling to pass, it’s actually quite the opposite. Last season's dip may have been influenced by sharing the floor with a ball-dominant player like James Harden.

Still, it does highlight some of the limitations that come with putting Mitchell in that role.

Mitchell does look for ways to get his teammates involved. He's a selfless player; the problem is that when the pressure is on down the stretch, he does fall into hero-ball mode. It's usually the result of desperation or a heat check, not a deliberate choice or a lack of trust in his teammates.

But there's a significant difference between being a capable passer and being a true floor general. Mitchell isn't particularly adept at setting the table, controlling the tempo, and orchestrating an offense. Many of his assists feel more like byproducts of his scoring pressure than the result of creating opportunities for others.

Mitchell will find ways to produce. But if the goal is to put the ball in someone's hands and have them pull the strings, Mitchell isn't necessarily the player you want running the show.

The same can be said of Harden, who is a score-first player. Sure, he’ll give you assists, but his objective is to score. He and Mitchell are almost mirror images in their offensive mentality.

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