Cleveland Cavaliers: Analyzing the team’s questionable defense

Perimeter defense

Fans are understandably already worried about the Cleveland Cavaliers perimeter defense.

Last season, Collin Sexton recorded one of the league’s worst defensive ratings as he failed to check anyone in front of him. The undersized guard frequently struggled to stop his matchup and was even worse in regards to help defense.

Now, the Cavaliers have added Darius Garland to the mix. Though Garland is an incredible offensive talent, his size leads us to believe he will have problems on defense, similar to Sexton.

These initial concerns are valid. Having two short guards is a recipe for disaster. Neither Sexton or Garland will be trusted to switch through screens and they will both have trouble helping off of the ball.

However, I wouldn’t give up all hope on Sexton and Garland just yet. It seems that Garland may have hit a minor growth spurt, now being listed as 6’3″ after originally entering the draft at 6’2″.

This puts him in a slightly better position to defend opposing point guards as the average height for his position is about 6’2″.

Combine this with Sexton’s 6’6″ wingspan and these two have potential to grow into solid defenders. They may never become elite, but they could one day hold their own on this end of the floor.

As for their bench unit, Jordan Clarkson has never shown glimpses of being a good defender while Brandon Knight is notorious for getting embarrassed defensively. Matthew Dellavadova is their best perimeter defender, but he is unlikely to play a major role for the team this year.

Their best hope is for Kevin Porter Jr. to blossom into a productive two-way player. Porter has the athleticism needed to succeed on defense, all it takes is a little bit of development.

Overall, the Cavaliers are going to get killed on the perimeter yet again this season. Hopefully, the offensive output from Sexton/Garland will outweigh the points they allow on the other end.