Here is your The Cleveland Cavaliers news and links of the day.
The first sip
I don’t think anyone can argue that the Cavs had one of the best benches in the league last season. Caris LeVert was the only full-time backup scoring more than ten points per game (14) and they were 14th in bench points last season (34.4 per game). These are not exactly impressive numbers.
Instead, what the Cavs showed was that their backups complemented hybrid lineups extremely well with the starters. the two best formations from last season who played more than 150 possessions There were at least two substitutes. That’s partly because the core didn’t gel well, but it also shows that the bench is doing a great job of highlighting the strengths of the starters.
For example, lineups featuring Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade have absolutely dominated their opponents on defense (105.8 defensive rating, 98th percentile) because of their association with Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell. Likewise, the groups with Georges Niang and Darius Garland were formidable offensively (119 offensive rating, 82nd percentile). These are just a few of the many groupings that have worked well.
The goal isn’t to have the most prolific scorers coming off the bench. It’s about having the best complementary pieces to your core. You could say the Cavaliers have that even though they may not be the second most talented unit.
This team’s problems are more likely to be that it can’t get its core on the same page. That’s the problem Kenny Atkinson will have to solve next season.
The second sip
The real Darius Garland wasn’t happy that the virtual Darius Garland was on the wrong side of the introduction of new offensive features in NBA 2K25.
Virtual Garland may be the worst defender in basketball history according to this clip.
Random Rider of the Day – Richard Washington
Washington played his final two seasons with the Cavs from 1980 to 1982. He averaged 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in a backup role.
The Ted Stepien years were terrible for Cleveland. Those were two of the three seasons he was the owner. The team went just 38-126 when Washington was on the team.
The trades with Washington are among the many reasons they were so bad during the Stepien era. The Cavs parted with two first-round picks for Washington and Jerome Whitehead. Washington was good in his prime, but was far from that compared to the team he arrived on in Cleveland.
Washington was a renowned college basketball player. He was part of UCLA’s championship team in 1975 and won the Final Four MVP award that season. Washington began his own construction company after basketball.
WNBA Schedule Today
- Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever, 7 p.m.
- Minnesota Lynx at Phoenix Mercury, 10 p.m.
- Full program here
