Cleveland Cavaliers: 6 Assists Just Isn’t Going To Work
The Cleveland Cavaliers have chemistry issues and are struggling as a result. The Cavs are 1-3 on the season after falling to the Utah Jazz 102-100 on Wednesday night. While their record may alarm some, it really shouldn’t be a surprise with all the new pieces the Cavaliers brought in to fit in their puzzle, including rookie head coach David Blatt.
The real story, along with the chemistry issue, is that the Cavs are struggling sharing the ball. The Cavs doled out just six assists on 30 made field goals and passed against the Jazz. The six assists tied a franchise mark for fewest in a game and they are the first team since March 2012 to have that low a number when the Portland Trail Blazers achieved such distinction.
To make matters worse, Kyrie Irving recorded no assists for the second time in his career. He tallied 34 points and took a team-high 23 shots. Irving has launched 36 shots since his last assist. Dion Waiters, who is not known for his playmaking skills as it is, has just one assist over his last two games and four assists over four games this season. He averaged three assists per game over his career entering this season.
While the six assists may be a statistical anomaly, it is a concern with the Cavs as they are standing around on offense and playing too much one-on-one.
The Cavs are averaging just 16.0 assists a game, which is the fewest in the league, and are 19th in the league in scoring (96.5). As a result of so little offensive movement, defenses are able to pack into the lane and challenge every shot causing the Cavs to shoot just 40.5 percent (29th) from the field.
So, should the Cavs be panicking? Of course not, at least not right now. If the Cavs don’t get things figured out by Christmas than there may be cause for concern. The Cavs ave a dearth of distributors with Irving, James, Waiters and Matthew Dellavedova. Plus, Kevin Love is an excellent passer.
Irving, James and Waiters are at their best when they are creating and slashing to the bucket. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Irving and Waiters are getting to the bucket at a greater rate than they ever have. James, on the other hand, has gotten to the basket considerably less than he has the past two seasons.
Moreover, James may need to look at himself in the mirror before laying the blame on Irving shoulders. James is averaging 23.8 points per game and has taken a team-high 18.8 shots while shooting only 41.3 percent from the field. He averages 5.8 rebounds, including 0.5 on the offensive end, along with 4.8 assists and 4.5 turnovers – 14 of those turnovers are bad passes. Plus, the Cavs are scoring 16.8 points less per 100 possessions when James is on the court than when he is not.