Sir Charles in Charge
Fansided

Cleveland’s Defense Isn’t Even Close To Where It Should Be

By Tyree Morton

Mar 25, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard JR Smith (5) and forward LeBron James (23) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) watch from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Quicken Loans Arena. The Wizards won 127-115. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard JR Smith (5) and forward LeBron James (23) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) watch from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Quicken Loans Arena. The Wizards won 127-115. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

I’m sure you’ve heard about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ poor defense by now and may have even witnessed it yourself; so does this mean trouble for LeBron and the Cavs?

Even with Golden State signing Kevin Durant, that didn’t stop the Cleveland Cavaliers from believing that they could repeat as champions.

After all, the Warriors might not even make it to the NBA Finals. If Kevin Durant comes back in time, they’ll have to adjust their playing style once again and that’s not easy.

As of now, Cleveland probably isn’t a lock to make the Finals either. If you were rooting for a Cavs vs Warriors Finals for the third straight year, you should be a tad bit worried.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

We’re this late in the season and the Cavaliers aren’t even in the middle of the pack defensively. Cleveland is currently the 22nd best defensive team. It’s hard to use the word “best” when referring to their defense.

Cleveland is dead last in steals per game. They’re not blocking many shots either, ranking at the bottom five in blocks per game.

Here’s a list of where the Cavaliers rank in other defensive categories

  • OPP POINTS OFF TOV: 19th
  • OPP 2ND CHANCE: 25th
  • OPP POINTS IN PAINT: 18th
  • OPP FGM PER GAME: 27th
  • OPP 3PM PER GAME: 26th
  • OPP AST PER GAME: 29th

Those defensive rankings aren’t that of a championship team. Usually the team who wins the title is a top ten defensive team. Since 1996-97, only one team has won a championship that wasn’t a top ten ranked defense. That team was the 01-02 Los Angeles Lakers.

Last year when the Cavaliers won, their defensive rating was 10th best in the league.

One thing they can do well on defense is rebound. They are 8th in defensive rebounds per game.

The Cavaliers brought in Bogut to help and he would’ve been a tremendous help to have on defense had he never gotten hurt. The Cavs have given up the 11th most layups in the NBA and with Bogut’s help alone, that wouldn’t be the case.

Over their last five, the Cavaliers have given up 117 points per game. That is not a typo.

Must Read: Previewing Boston's Important 2017 Offseason

With great work needing to be done, it’s still possible for the Cleveland Cavaliers to win it all. Their underachieving defense will make that goal much harder to accomplish. It will be a tougher challenge this year to get through the East. Can Cleveland pull it together and repeat?

Home/Cleveland Cavaliers