Even though the season is a week old the Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the worst defenses in the league.
The team is off to an 0-3 start which is not entirely surprising given their defensive deficiencies. The Cavaliers are allowing 126.7 points per game which is the third-most in the NBA. The lowlight being giving up 133 to the Atlanta Hawks. A team many considered to be one of the worst in the league. Minnesota was able to score 131 against the Cavaliers, an outcome that was more of the expected variety. The Timberwolves are one of the better teams in the league and expect to contend in the Western Conference.
What is also not helping is the fact that the Cavaliers opponents are making the most three-pointers per game this season. An astounding 15.3 three-pointers made per game. This amounts to a made three-point percentage of 43.8, the second-highest in the NBA. Any team that surrenders this many shots from deep will have problems in the win-loss column.
The Cavaliers are not just struggling defending the three, they struggle all over the floor. Cleveland’s opponents are making 45.7 field goals per game, the fifth-most in the league. The problem with this number is that this on 92.3 attempts per game, right in the middle of the pack (15th in the NBA). This is far from a good sign for the Cavaliers defense. Their opponents are making a high number of shots on a relatively average amount of attempts.
Cleveland’s defense needs to improve if they want to get into the win column soon
This statement is quite obvious, Cleveland needs to improve their efforts on defense. Apparently head coach Tyronn Lue is not happy with their efforts either. Stating that if the team does not start communicating better on defense then their playing time will affected. That statement from Lue places emphasis on the lack of communication on defense. An issue that appears rather obvious to the most casual of basketball fans. Shooters are being left wide open of facing little to no resistance when driving the lane. While some of the Cavaliers players on the roster are not known for their defensive prowess, but they must improve their efforts on defense.
Cleveland is not going to be a team that contends for a title. It appears unlikely that they make the playoffs at this point, but if they want to at least put a halfway decent product on the court an improvement on defense is absolutely necessary.
