The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a loss to the New York Knicks, in which they were missing three key players.
Darius Garland
Throughout the end of last season, Darius Garland suffered a toe injury before the Cavaliers’ playoff run, which put him out for most of the playoffs despite trying to play through the injury. Although he was an expected loss, the Cavs missed him greatly on opening night. The offense looked stale at times throughout the game, and it left Evan Mobley taking most of the offensive burden left behind in his absence.
Mobley averages 1.8 three-point attempts per game throughout his career, and he had eight attempts during the first game. Although he hit four, his usage on the perimeter hurt the Cavs’ rebounding abilities, and it showed greatly. The Knicks outrebounded the Cavaliers by sixteen.
With Darius Garland coming back into the lineup soon, Mobley will be able to return to the post and play more as a third option offensively. Also, Garland’s playmaking abilities were greatly missed. The Cavs averaged 28.1 assists per game last season, while against the Knicks, they only had 21. The ball movement throughout the game was lacking, to say the least, but with Garland re-entering the lineup, the offensive identity will be back, and Kenny Atkinson can run his offense again
The Lockdown Defenders
The Cavaliers were also without their best perimeter defenders, DeAndre Hunter and Max Strus. With Strus missing the first three to four months, Hunter is expected to start in his place. However, it was obvious the Cavs were missing their defense. Although Jaylon Tyson was able to play decent defense, the Cavs needed a lockdown defender to take on Mikal Bridges or Jalen Brunson.
In the first quarter alone, Bridges had ten points and seemingly no one could stop him. The Cavaliers needed a defender like Hunter or Strus, and their defensive energy was something they desperately needed. Without Hunter, the Cavs lacked defensive intensity, and they let up long runs where they couldn’t score a point, and they could not get a stop on defense. The Knicks were up 17 at one point in the game, and they looked unstoppable.
Not only do Hunter and Strus play stifling defense, but they also have an ability to create shots. Some nights, Mobley, Mitchell, and Garland have a bad game, but Hunter and Strus can step up and create offense in those situations. Against the Knicks, Mitchell struggled throughout the game, except in the third and Mobley started the game off slow. They could have weathered the storm.
The season is 82 games long for a reason. Stop hitting the panic button after one game, where one team got hot and another team was missing key players. The Cavaliers will be fine, and once healthy, they will go back to the top of the East.
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