Tyronn Lue: Cavaliers Offense Has Become Too 'Predictable'

After overhauling their roster at the Feb. 8 trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers will continue to adjust on the fly as they look to make a fourth straight NBA Finals run.      

Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue used Monday's practice as a chance to mix things up, citing that the team has become too "predictable."

"I thought today was a good day, a good teaching day," Lue said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. "I was able to add some more stuff offensively because right now with only two or three practices, we're predictable offensively, and teams are kind of sitting on that and taking advantage of that."

Gone are Isaiah Thomas, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye and Jae Crowder. In their places are George Hill Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and Rodney Hood. And while the additions seemed to fit right in from the get-go, they have hit their first bump in the road.

The Cavaliers went on a three-game winning streak following a busy deadline, averaging 121.3 points per game. However, they have lost two of their last three contests, averaging 103.0 points while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor. More glaringly, the team has shot just 27.6 percent from beyond the arc during its slump.

Growing pains are part of the process of putting together a new squad. On the other hand, any team starring LeBron James expects to be playing in the postseason. At 35-24, the Cavaliers sit just a half-game up on the Washington Wizards for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Lue isn't hitting the panic button just yet, though he realizes that it's time for the team to evolve its offense.

There is still plenty of time for Cleveland to find a rhythm, but expanding the playbook and figuring out how the new pieces best fit will be key. If the Cavaliers have any hope of winning their second title in three years, James is going to need his teammates to help on both ends of the court.

Lue noted that increasing Hood's usage is something the team is targeting going forward. In five games with the Cavaliers, Hood has averaged 10.6 points on nine shots per contest.

"We definitely have to get him more touches," Lue said. "That's why I was saying we don't have a lot of stuff in. So we have to make sure we have a balance of getting the ball in his hands and getting the ball in Jordan's hands with that second unit and letting those guys be aggressive.

"Also at times when he has the ball, he has to be aggressive. I think right now he's in between, not sure. But we need him to be aggressive and score the basketball."

Now it's time to see if Lue's adjustments help Cleveland reach its full potential. The team is playing the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.