Kevin Durant Had Honest Admission About Cavs’ Defense

Everybody raves about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offense, and rightfully so.

They have the second-highest-scoring offense in the game and boast the most efficient shooting, especially from beyond the arc.

Nonetheless, their defense has set the tone more often than not.

That’s why Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant had no choice but to praise them.

Talking to the media, Durant raved about the Cavs’ zone defense and how they manage to keep forcing tough shots (via Duane Rankin):

“It’s a tough defense to score on if you thinking a shot is going to come open for you without you pressing the issue. We could’ve drove it a little bit more, but we don’t play against zone every game. We don’t have a zone package yet,” Durant admitted.

"It's a tough defense to score on if you thinking a shot is going to come open for you without you pressing the issue. We could've drove it a little bit more, but we don't play against zone every game. We don't have a zone package yet." Kevin Durant after Suns loss to Cavs. #Suns pic.twitter.com/wMPcZ8F7DY

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 21, 2025

Of course, the Cavs need to be careful not to show their entire hand during the regular season.

Kenny Atkinson must often go in and out of the zone to keep an ace up his sleeve for the playoffs.

Things get tougher, the courts and rotations get smaller, and it’s tough to make adjustments on the fly in the postseason, so Atkinson needs to save some tricks for when it matters the most.

The Cavaliers have been like an octopus on defense.

While Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland aren’t great individual defenders, they’ve been very good at funneling opposing players to their crowded paint, where they encounter either Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen, or both.

They’ve also been very active in passing lanes.

The Cavs still need to add someone who can guard bigger wings on the perimeter, which has been perhaps their lone flaw this season.

But with everybody on the same page and the zone defense being right on point, they will continue to lock up opposing teams all year.