The Cleveland Cavaliers had the most efficient offense in the entire NBA for most of the season.
They thrived from all three levels, taking and making good shots more often than not.
Notably, they were also solid on the defensive end of the floor.
Then again, as the old adage reads, offense wins games, but defense wins championships.
With that in mind, John Schuhmann of NBA.com claimed that the biggest key for this team would be to have a top-five defense next season:
“Can they push the defense into the top five?” Schuhmann wrote as Cavs’ key question. “The second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs was much different from the first, and while injuries certainly played a part, the Cavs also just weren’t good enough defensively against the Pacers. They ranked last in defense in the conference semis, allowing 116.7 points per 100 possessions and unable to keep up with Indiana’s ball and player movement. The East is seemingly the Cavs’ to lose, but they need to be just a little bit better defensively, both so they can increase their chances of reaching the Finals and because they can’t count on the shooting being so good for a second straight season.”
The Cavs had a top 10 defense for most of the year.
They had the Defensive Player of the Year and some very good stoppers.
However, they need to improve their transition if they intend to contain a team like the Indiana Pacers, as the Pacers thrive when pushing the ball up the court and attacking teams before their half-court defense gets set.
That will require significantly more defensive effort from the backcourt.
Darius Garland has always been a defensive liability, and while he took some steps forward in that regard last season, he was still targeted when he was on the floor in the playoffs.
Donovan Mitchell isn’t much better, and it’s almost impossible to hide both of them on that end of the floor.
Hopefully, Lonzo Ball will be healthy when it matters the most, and maybe Coach Atkinson will have to stagger his minutes with Garland and Mitchell to make up for their defensive flaws.
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