With a 102-94 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to a 13-7 record, which firmly puts them in third place in the Eastern Conference.
Although the team has some qualities that deeply concern opposing coaches, it also has some definite weaknesses, and these weaknesses need to be addressed if it is to have any real shot at reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
Here are two types of moves the Cavs need to make to go from pretenders to true championship contenders.
Add Some Bench Scoring
The Cavs rank just 26th in the NBA in bench scoring at 28.7 points per game, and this is something that could really hurt them come playoff time.
Only one of their reserves – Kevin Love – averages double-figures in scoring, and at just 10.6 points a game, he isn’t exactly burning up the nets at this point of his career.
Cleveland could sorely use an instant offense man off the bench so that when Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell are resting, opposing defenses won’t be able to key on the one member of that duo who is still in the game.
Improve The Wing Position
Positionally, the one weakness Cleveland has is at the small forward position.
The team has tread water in that department splitting duties there between Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Cedi Osman, Dean Wade and Lamar Stevens, none of whom have looked particularly impressive.
I like the Cavaliers have a massive issue at small forward between needing to figure out Okoro, Dean Wade, Osman, and LeVert
And right now they have three of them on the floor at the same damn time lol
— Mark Russell Pereira (@Mark_R_Pereira) October 26, 2022
What the Cavs need more than anything else at the small forward spot is strong defense in order to corral some of the NBA’s best at that position.
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