CleveLAnd Cavs Weekly is a weekly column about the Cleveland Cavaliers, written out of LA (hence “CleveLAnd). Each Friday, games from the past week are highlighted along with one key player of the week and cap it off with a preview for next week.
The Cleveland Cavaliers played two games this week: a 136-104 blowout home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and a bounce back 94-87 road win against the Charlotte Hornets. Playing without their two-time All-Star point guard Darius Garland, the Cavaliers struggled on the offensive end of the court, averaging just 98 points per game this week in comparison to the league average 116.
Getting blown out by the Thunder is not unique to the Cavaliers, as the Thunder have now won 17 games this season by 20 points or more. However, this time last year the Cavaliers were mentioned alongside the Thunder for the best team title. While fans have accepted that this year’s Cavs team doesn’t compare to last season’s, this game served as a true nail in the coffin, showing just how far Cleveland must climb to reappear in championship contention discourse.
Looking to bounce back, the Cavaliers came into Charlotte hot on Wednesday night, jumping out to a 19-4 lead. Cleveland dominated the first half, taking a 24-point lead into the break, but then proceeded to score less than 40 points in the second half. While they finished with a wire-to-wire win, the performance left much to be desired on the offensive end. They shot a measly 20% from 3-point range (8-of-40), and turned the ball over 20 times, highlighting the need for Darius Garland — an elite ball handler and floor spacer.
Unsurprisingly, the Cavs struggled this week without Garland. Behind star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, Garland is the secondary engine to their offensive creation, and Cleveland has struggled to find a third creator after losing Ty Jerome in the offseason. Apart from getting healthy, the Cavaliers must continue to focus on allowing star forward/center hybrid Evan Mobley to blossom into an offensive hub down low, as having ways to get good looks without overly relying on Donovan Mitchell will be imperative come playoff time.
Player of the Week:
Player of the week isn’t about overall impact, or else Donovan Mitchell would win it like clockwork. Instead, it’s meant to highlight a player who exceeded expectations and brought the Cavaliers quality of play up dramatically. This week’s honor goes to Mobley, who averaged 15 points, 10.5 rebounds, two blocks and one steal per game.
It was a struggle across the board against the Thunder. However, Mobley shined bright against the Hornets. He put on a defensive masterclass with three blocks and 13 defensive rebounds to go along with 13 first half points. A key part of why the offense faltered was the fact that Mobley only attempted two field goals in the second half, but his aggressiveness on both ends,like we saw in the first half against Charlotte, is the key to unlocking this team’s full potential.
Next Week’s Preview:
Tonight the Cavs face the Sacramento Kings at home, a game Cleveland should absolutely win despite missing Garland and shooting guard Sam Merill who will miss his fourth straight game with a hand injury. They then face the Orlando Magic back-to-back, Saturday in Orlando and Monday in Cleveland. The Cavs will then host Luka Doncic and the Lakers on Wednesday with Garland looking to return to action before heading into the weekend.
Ideally the Cavs emerge at least 3-1, gaining ground on the top teams of the Eastern Conference before hitting the All-Star break.