5 Early-Season Takeaways from New-Look Cavaliers
Big wins followed by head-scratching losses. LeBron James playing like an MVP with lackluster performances by his supporting cast. Effort being turned on and off with the flip of a switch.
Cavs basketball is officially back!
As Cleveland kicks off the 2017-18 season, the roster may have significantly changed but old habits remain the same. Lots of new faces have already made their Cavaliers debuts, including Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder and Jeff Green. Fellow newcomers Cedi Osman, Jose Calderon and Ante Zizic have played sparingly as well.
We're still waiting for Isaiah Thomas to make his season debut, while Rose (ankle) and Wade (knee) have already thinned the team's backcourt.
An underwhelming 3-2 start to the season has been anything but boring, however, as new storylines seem to pop up every day with these Cavaliers.
Wade Could Be Ideal Sixth Man
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Dwyane Wade was handed the starting shooting guard job upon his arrival in Cleveland for no other reason other than he's Dwyane Wade.
The fit was awkward alongside Derrick Rose, as neither is an average three-point shooter nor a strong defender at this point. In today's NBA, that's a death sentence.
After three games as a starter, Wade was averaging a lowly 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 28.0 percent shooting in 23.6 minutes.
With LeBron James, Kevin Love and (eventually) Isaiah Thomas in the starting unit, Cleveland didn't need Wade's scoring. J.R. Smith is the far better fit, someone who can create space and play smothering defense when needed.
To Wade's credit, he recognized a move to the bench would be best for all parties involved.
"To watch him with that first unit, we see how it worked out and he came to me and just said, 'What you said was right. It's a better fit for me in the second unit,'" head coach Tyronn Lue said, via Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. "For a future Hall of Famer and a guy that's won three NBA championships to come to the coach and see what's best for the team, that's big time."
The move paid immediate dividends, as Wade posted 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting with three rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in just over 18 minutes. With James and Love getting a breather, Wade is free to lead a bench unit comprised of Kyle Korver, Iman Shumpert, Tristan Thompson and Jeff Green.
"I came here for one reason," Wade said, via Vardon. "I didn't come here to shoot 20 shots or average 20 points. I came here to be a part of winning and to bring what I can to this team and I want to do that. I feel that my best opportunity to do that is in that unit, so it just came down to that."
Wade is a 12-time All-Star, Finals MVP and eight-time All-NBA member. After this season, we may be adding Sixth Man of the Year to his illustrious list.
The Rotation Will Change...a Lot
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Given the injury histories of this roster, the eventual return of Isaiah Thomas and an inevitable February trade, we're going to see a lot of turnover in this rotation.
In five games to kick off the 2017-18 season, Tyronn Lue has already used three different starting lineups.
Derrick Rose started the first two games at point guard—then twisted his ankle. Dwyane Wade started the first three games at shooting guard—then asked to come off the bench. J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson were benched to start the season—and now are both back in the starting lineup. LeBron James became the new starting point guard—then switched to center (on the same night).
Again, it's been a mere five games.
The only consistent aspect of this Cavs group is change, and that should continue for the following few months.
We knew asking for 82 games out of Rose would be too much. Wade, James and Love will need occasional nights off as well. Luckily, this is a team that can run 12 deep in a rotation when healthy.
The Cavaliers only have 11 back-to-backs remaining as well. At this time last year, they still had 18 left to play. That will help.
Eventually, Lue will need to nail down a rotation heading into the postseason. For now, it's going to be a lot of sloppy, turnover-induced basketball as guys get used to playing with new bodies night after night.
To 3, or Not to 3?
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The three-ball was one of Cleveland's greatest weapons last season.
The Cavaliers finished second in the NBA in makes (13.0), attempts (33.9) and success rate (38.4 percent) in 2016-17. Now, it's unclear how they want to attack.
First, the personnel needs to be sorted out. When Tyronn Lue knew he'd be starting Derrick Rose and Dwayne Wade in the backcourt, he bumped Tristan Thompson out of the starting five in favor of Jae Crowder to add more shooting. Even so, this team looked destined to see a decline in its outside firepower.
The results were just 16 total three-pointers in two games, barely above their single-game average from last season. In the last two games with Rose out and Wade moved to the bench, the long-range attempts are starting to pick up once more. Cleveland is averaging 11.7 makes on 35.7 percent shooting, more in line with its play from last year.
With Wade now coming off the bench full time and an eventual return for Isaiah Thomas (3.2 three-point makes per game on 37.9 percent shooting last season), the Cavs' return to three-ball glory should resume.
With Thomas, J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver, Crowder and Kevin Love, they need to keep the three-point shot a key part of their offensive game plan.
Defense Is Still Optional
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After holding both the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks under 100 points to begin the season, Cleveland has once again lost interest in playing any discernible defense. It's given up an average of 112.7 points a night to the Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets. Not exactly Murderers' Row.
Highlighted in the Cavs' lack of effort is a willingness to contest three-point shots, as opponents are having a field day from beyond the arc. Cleveland is allowing 17.0 three-pointers on a blistering 44.7 percent shooting in these games, something Lue warned his team about before playing Brooklyn.
"We come into the game, we told them they're second in the league in attempts and they're getting them up," Lue said, via Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
This comes on the heels of a comeback win over the Bulls where the Cavs allowed 12 three-pointers and 68 points at halftime, a performance that had Lue "furious."
Outside of Jae Crowder and Tristan Thompson, it's difficult to find someone who plays hard on the defensive end all the time. LeBron James, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Jeff Green can play high-level defense, we just don't see it on a consistent basis.
Much like last year, this is a team that knows it still has an easy path to the playoffs. Don't expect much on that end of the ball until it really matters.
LeBron Is Still NBA's Best
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Perhaps no player in NBA history has played this well over this amount of time.
In his 15th season, James is still the league's best player with no visible signs of slowing down.
After five games, he leads the Cavs in points (27.6), assists (9.0), steals (1.0) and blocks (1.6), all while pulling down 7.4 rebounds and shooting 61.1 percent from the floor.
With Derrick Rose out, James has started at point guard for the first time since 2005, back when he shared ball-handling duties with Jeff McInnis and Eric Snow. The result? The best game by any point guard this season and a 48.7 player efficiency rating against the Chicago Bulls, as noted by Micah Adams of ESPN Stats and Info.
James' shot looks smoother than ever, as he's connecting on 45.0 percent of his three-pointers. A swelling in his right elbow forced James to adjust his shot mechanics this summer.
Now with his shot adjusted, James has one final goal for his career.
"I want to shoot 80 [percent] from the free-throw line, man," James told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. "That's my only goal. That's my last goal of my NBA career. That's my last one. I've done everything else."
At 76.0 percent on the young season, don't be surprised if James once again reaches his goal.
Greg Swartz covers the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report. Stats provided by NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.
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