Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 takeaways from the 2018-19 NBA season
By Tony Pesta
2. The Cavaliers need a dominant center
If there is one thing that the Cleveland Cavaliers will need to address in the offseason it is their lack of a dominant center.
It’s no secret that the NBA has moved away from having a big man be the focal point of a team. The modern style of play definitely leans more towards quick wing players that can defend multiple positions and knock down the 3-point shot.
However, every dominant NBA team still has a gargantuan center holding down the paint. For example, the Philadelphia 76ers have Joel Embiid, the Houston Rockets have Clint Capela, the Milwaukee Bucks have Brook Lopez, the Golden State Warriors have DeMarcus Cousins and so on.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have zero players that could be considered dominant in the paint. Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. might all be able to rack up rebounds, but none of them are capable of protecting the rim.
To shed light on how poor the Cavaliers have been on the interior, the team allows the highest field goal percentage within five feet of the rim while also ranking dead last in blocks per game. The Cavaliers finished the season with a total of 187 blocks, a number Myles Turner has surpassed all by himself.
Seeing as how the Cavaliers are the first team this century to finish the season with under 200 total blocks, something obviously needs to change. Cleveland will need to find a rim protector this offseason whether it be through trades, free agency or the NBA Draft.