2018 NBA Playoffs: Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview

3. Will Cleveland’s other guys step up?

During their first round battle with the Pacers, Cleveland’s second-leading scorer was Kevin Love, with just 11.4 points per game. Nobody outside of LeBron James could consistently be relied upon to produce offensively, which was a problem against Indiana but becomes an even bigger problem against the Raptors.

With four players in double figures during the first round matchup with the Wizards, Toronto was able to get contributions from a variety of sources on its way to averaging 109.2 points per game in the series.

One game, in was C.J. Miles coming up with four 3-pointers. The next it was Delon Wright with an unexpected 18 points. The Raptors simply have so many players capable of having a big game, it makes them so hard to defend.

Compare that to the 93.2 points per game that the Cavaliers averaged against Indiana, and it’s easy to see why Cleveland needs others to step up and put the ball in the basket. LeBron is a pass-first player by nature, so he won’t stop feeding his teammates even if they’re in the worst of shooting slumps.

If guys like Jordan Clarkson and J.R. Smith can’t keep the defense honest by hitting their open shots when fed the ball, the Cavaliers will have a tough time keeping up with Toronto’s offense, especially since their defense hasn’t been a consistent source of strength either.