Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 big questions heading into 2018-19 NBA season

3. Who are the role players outside of LeBron James?

Since he entered the league in 2003, LeBron James has more or less been the focal point of the offensive gameplan on whatever team he’s played on.

With the ability to both score and facilitate, the ball is in his hands more often than not, which in turn forces his teammates to understand their place on the court in relation to how it affects the four-time MVP.

This has been the narrative in Cleveland since James returned in 2014. Guys like J.R. Smith and Kevin Love have been forced to suppress some of their more natural urges for the good of the team. Now with LeBron playing elsewhere, there’s no one to hold them back in that sense.

Love may become the No. 1 option on offense, but there will still be plenty to go around for the likes of Smith, George Hill and Jordan Clarkson among others.

While many may be quick to point out the lackluster performances these players put forth in the 2018 NBA Playoffs playing off of James, that doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t produce when he’s no longer around.

For this upcoming season and beyond, it’ll be interesting to see not only how the touches are divvied up by coach Tyronn Lue, but also how each player performs under these new and frankly unfamiliar circumstances.