Are the Cleveland Cavaliers the best offensive unit in the NBA?
The Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but have won their last two games against the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans. There is no question that the Cavaliers are loaded with offensive talent, but they have had a couple of rough offensive performances so far this year. Part of that has to do with the fact that they don’t have great team chemistry just yet, but there were also issues with the starting lineup not working with each other enough.
Since the struggles, Dion Waiters has moved to the bench and Shawn Marion has taken his spot in the starting lineup. That has helped a little bit with the shot distribution, and it allows Waiters to be a main scorer with the second unit. The big three of Kevin Love, LeBron James, and Kyrie Irving has also begun to play better alongside of each other.
Cleveland’s improved play leads to the question of whether or not they have the best offense in the NBA?
There is no denying the fact that they have three of the NBA’s best scorers on the roster in James, Love, and Irving, but their scoring depth is fairly thin. Outside of those top three players, they have Waiters, Tristan Thompson, and Anderson Varejao that are averaging more than four points per game. Granted, James is averaging 24.8 points, Irving 22.0, and Love 18.7, but they don’t have a great scoring balance after that.
Perhaps the biggest concern for the Cavaliers against teams like the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, and other top teams in the Western Conference will be their lack of depth. They have Mike Miller, Thompson, Waiters, and Matthew Dellavedova when he returns from injury, but those names won’t strike fear in opponents.
Through their first six regular season games, the Cavaliers as a team have averaged 102.3 per game. That number is just 11th among all NBA teams, and leaves major question marks as to whether or not they are the best offense in the league. If they could keep up the play that they have the last two games consistently, it would be a completely different story.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
At this point in the season, teams like the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Toronto Raptors have been high-powered offense along with a few other teams. Some of the teams not mentioned will begin to fall as the season moves forward, but Suns, Warriors, and Raptors all have the talent and potential to keep playing the way that they have been.
While the Cavaliers definitely have the big three scoring that most teams don’t, they simply aren’t the best offense in the league at this point in time. It’s still very possible that they could grow into being the league’s top offense, but they simply aren’t there just yet. They’ll need their bench to pick things up if they want to get to that point, and they’ll need to play much better as a team.
It’s an intriguing topic to look into, but the Cavaliers still have plenty of holes to fill offensively before they reach their full potential.