Relaxed and Confident, Cavaliers Have Evolved in Year 2 of LeBron James Reunion

CLEVELAND — Year 1 of LeBron James' return to the Cleveland Cavaliers began 1-3, was later 19-20 and eventually relied on major midseason trades to build cohesion within the team.

Year 2 appears to be off to a far better start.

The Cavs have shot out of the gate to a 7-1 record, the best mark in the Eastern Conference, even without Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert. Through eight games, Cleveland ranks third in offensive rating (109.5) and has allowed the fifth-fewest points per game (95.5).

When asked to compare this year's start to that of last season, head coach David Blatt appeared to hold back a smile, simply stating, "At this time in the season, we were a completely different team. I have no basis for comparison."

Blatt was a newcomer to the NBA stage last year, an unknown that was forced into one of the hottest coaching seats in professional sports. While he scrambled to keep both his and the Cavaliers' collective heads above water, everything about the team and city now is in a much-improved state.

Relaxed and Confident

Blatt used both adjectives to describe his team just three games into the 2015-16 season. Weeks later, they still hold true.

After a lengthy playoff run that resulted in an NBA Finals loss, the Cavaliers have a much better feel for where they are as a team. The early results prove as much.

"It's another year for us together. Everyone knows what coach wants to do on offense and defense. The concept is not new anymore. I just think that players are used to playing with each other and more used to the system," the longest-tenured Cavalier, Anderson Varejao, told Bleacher Report.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Cleveland began the 2014-15 season with 10 new faces on the roster. Entering this year, that number was cut to four.

This is the only turnover rate considered a positive in basketball. Chemistry takes time to develop, and the Cavs appear to be building just that.

Tristan Thompson agrees: "Playing with each other and understanding each other. At the same time, it's being confident in our team. We've been down at times in games where we don't want to be down. We obviously want to play and control the game from tipoff, but if we are down, having the confidence to push and fight back."

Indeed, the Cavaliers have been forced to win in a number of ways.

While they've cruised to victories over the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat, Cleveland's had some close shaves as well. Preserving tight leads against the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz have tested the team's toughness, as did overcoming a 32-18 first-quarter deficit to defeat the New York Knicks.

This has all been without Irving and Shumpert, of course, quite possibly the Cavs' starting backcourt when they return.

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Despite their absence, Cleveland isn't content with just waiting around.

"We know we'll be getting a big boost when we get those guys back. We're not trying to just tread water waiting for them to arrive and help out, we're trying to push forward and get better right now. I think we have a lot of room for improvement," noted Matthew Dellavedova, a three-year veteran of the team.

Blatt echoed the sentiments of his point guard, adding the importance of a full year together.

"We're still not there yet," Blatt said. "Still not there health-wise. Still not there roster-wise in terms of waiting for guys to come back. We're still carrying a bit of the preseason with us, getting in our game shape as we go along. I think our players are doing a heck of a job gritting it out, finding ways to compete and to win the game. That continuity does exist now and it's really helped us."

While a better start was expected thanks to the added experience of playing together, the confidence of the team has really been a pleasant surprise this soon.

Offensive Changes

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Last year, Cleveland had to break a lot of bad habits when it came to ball management. 

The Cavaliers led the league in isolation plays, with LeBron James trying to do far too much by himself, especially in the postseason. This stagnant offense ultimately doomed Cleveland against the Golden State Warriors in the Finals, as good ball movement would have been their only hope without the injured Irving and Kevin Love.

James isn't the athletic freak of yesteryear, able to blow by defenders without so much as breaking a sweat. Moving the ball around and cutting down on isolation was to be a focal point of maximizing offense and lessening the burden on James.

So far, so good.

Following a Nov. 10, 118-114 win over the Jazz, Cleveland's isolation plays per game has dropped to 7.9, down from 12.1 a season ago.

This decrease has the Cavs in the bottom half of NBA teams (16th overall), accounting for just 7.3 percent of their total offense, per NBA.com.

"We've got our sets that we want to run, that gets the ball moving and shifts the defense around," said Dellavedova. There's obviously a time and a place where you want to go off mismatches or isolations to get the ball to our main guys in the spots they like when we really need a bucket."

"We know when we move the ball we get pretty good looks, pretty good shots," added Varejao. "We know that's what we have to do to become a better team."

Indeed, the change in offense has paid dividends. The Cavaliers' assist total is at 25.9 per game with a 66.1 assist percentage, up from 22.1 and 57.8 percent last year, per NBA.com.

What's remarkable about this number is that no single Cavs player is averaging more than 6.6 dimes per game. Instead, it's been a group effort to put some mileage on the ball.

Last season, only three players (James, Love and Irving) registered a pass frequency (the percentage of time a player made or received a pass to or from a given teammate) above 10 percent, according to NBA player tracking data. Now, five total Cavaliers (James, Love, Mo Williams, Dellavedova and Thompson) have topped that amount.

This kind of movement has not only led to an increase in scoring (104.1 to 103.1), but overall efficiency as well (46.5 FG% to 45.8 FG%).

Comfort, Depth, Communication and More Love

Being comfortable hasn't come solely from added playing time together, but also in knowing the next man up is going to protect, or even expand, on the work already done.

Cleveland's roster at this same point last season had Alex Kirk, Will Cherry, Lou Amundson and Brendan Haywood, all who were contributing next to nothing. They've since been replaced with better and more experienced talent, all adding up to quite possibly the deepest team in the league.

"What we have now is real depth and we're still missing three main guys," Blatt pointed out. "The comfort level of knowing that with the depth and continuity that we have from last season makes this a much easier kind of flow for the team."

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

The offseason signings of Williams and Richard Jefferson have been brilliant. Cleveland hasn't missed a beat with the return of Williams to run the offense for the injured Irving, as he's poured in 16.5 points on 41.0 percent shooting from deep. While serving as a spot starter at shooting guard, Jefferson has been the Cavs' fourth-leading scorer at 9.3 a night while hitting a team-best 46.3 percent from three-point range.

When Irving and Shumpert return, Cleveland will have a second unit of Williams, Jefferson, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson and Varejao. Dellavedova, forced into a starting role in the Finals, will suddenly become a luxury as point guard No. 3.

While depth is nice, this is a team still very much led by James and Love.

We know Year 1 together certainly had its ups and downs, but the two seem to be communicating much more auspiciously now.

James has vocally supported Love as the focal point of the offense. When the latter was struggling in the first half of a Nov. 8 game against the Indiana Pacers, it was James who lit a fire under his All-Star power forward.

"LeBron talked to me at halftime. He just got me going, and that's all it was. I mentioned to him that I wanted to get myself near the basket and that's what I did. I credit my teammates a lot, but it started with him and trickled down to everyone else," Love admitted.

"You guys know, it's no secret we've had a lot of conversations over the past, not only year, but leading up into this season," Love continued. "He's a guy that's a leader. When he speaks up, we listen."

James was later asked about the halftime pep talk that propelled Love to finish with 22 points and 19 rebounds in a 101-97 win.

"I just thought his energy was really low, offensively. I thought defensively he was playing really well. I told him if he got his motor going a little bit offensively the ball will start to go in for him," James explained. "Kev wants to work in and out, not out and in. We've got to do a great job of always seeing that and doing that to better his play. I noticed it and wanted to do my part."

While this may have just been one game, it appeared to break barriers in the pair's relationship.

When asked whether or not that same conversation would have happened a year ago, Love simply stated, "I don't know."

With an emphasis to get him more involved in the offense, Love's numbers have increased. His scoring is up to 17.6 points a night from 16.4 a season ago. His usage rate of 24.5 percent has climbed from 21.7.

"It's very high," Love responded when questioned about his comfort level. "I wouldn't say that my rhythm is quite where I want it to be. I'm getting a lot of great looks where I want to be and just trying to attack the glass more. From a comfort standpoint, I feel a lot better."

Love made a commitment to Cleveland this offseason, spurning markets like New York and Los Angeles to ink a five-year deal with the Cavaliers. His teammates, to their credit, are doing their best to help him finally fit in.

Jason Miller/Getty Images

"I think last year, we were trying to get Kevin on some post-ups. He's a lot stronger this year, so I think he's been more effective on the block," noted Thompson, Love's frontcourt partner and locker room neighbor. "There were times last year that [opponents] made it difficult for him. But that's just him growing as a player and understanding how to get better."

Cleveland is far from a perfect team. They know this. We won't get a fully accurate read on how far they can go until all healthy pieces have been returned and a new rotation is set.

That being said, the early results from Year 2 together have been nothing but encouraging.

Playing relaxed and confident. A commitment to moving the ball. Using the team depth and stars to their potential while also keeping the lines of communication open.

All are necessary qualities to a winning basketball team. The Cavaliers have once again become just that.

Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA for Bleacher Report since 2010. Follow him on Twitter, @CavsGregBR.

All quotes obtained firsthand. Stats via Basketball-Reference.com and are current as of Nov. 13.