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Cavaliers: 3 biggest disappointments from the 2018-19 NBA season

By Ryan Piers

CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 20: Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers is helped up by his teammates during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 20, 2019 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 20: Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers is helped up by his teammates during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 20, 2019 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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2. The offense

It’s one thing to be bad and entertaining. It’s another to be bad and boring. The Cavaliers not only struggled to win, but the team wasn’t exactly the flashiest offensive bunch.

Cleveland averaged the second fewest amount of points this year at 104.5 per game. Only the notoriously and sometimes effectively slow-paced Memphis Grizzlies were worse with 103.5 per game. Yes, the highest scoring teams aren’t always the most entertaining. But points and a little razzle-dazzle never hurts.

Adding to injury, fans became accustomed to proficient offense during the LeBron era. The Cavs never finished out of the top 10 under ‘King James’ reign, with a top-five scoring offense in the league each of the last two seasons. Sans LeBron, the offense faltered.

Players, like Osman, started the year with such optimism, believing Cleveland would be a cohesive, maybe machine-like unit greater than the sum of its parts. Instead, the Cavs were second-to-last in assists this year.  Cleveland also finished in the bottom three in field goal percentage, true shooting percentage, and effective field goal percentage.

Cavs fans knew the offense would take a step back this season without LeBron. But going from top five to bottom five was disappointing.

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