Cleveland Cavaliers: There is no reason to panic (just yet)

It hasn’t been easy to remain calm while the Cleveland Cavaliers rattle off 10 consecutive losses. But, it’s important to remember that this is a rebuilding team, and now is not the time to hit the panic button.

Yes, things have gotten ugly. The Cavaliers aren’t just losing games, they’re being run off the court. No team in the NBA has posted a Net Rating as bad as them in the last 10 games and it isn’t particularly close. The Houston Rockets have the second-worst rating at negative 7.4, whereas the Cavaliers sit with an atrocious negative 21.3.

The problems don’t end there for Cleveland. They rank dead last in Defensive Rating, posting what would be by far the worst rating of all-time at 125.6 and they have been equally as bad on offense ranking second-worst behind only Houston in this department. Unsurprisingly, they also place 30th in points and 3-pointers during this stretch.

Though the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the midst of a historically bad stretch, now isn’t the time to panic about this young team.

Earlier in the season, Cleveland placed as a top-three defense and stood above .500 with multiple members of their rotation out with injury. How did they seemingly get worse with the return of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland and what is causing this catastrophic fall from grace?

Well, it begins with their schedule. The Cavaliers recently embarked on a five-game road trip that saw them face the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors in that order. Prior to that gauntlet, they played title contenders such as the Milwaukee Bucks (twice) and the Clippers once again.

It should come as no surprise that the Cavaliers struggled against these top-tier teams. While we would have liked to see them be more competitive (they lost nearly every game by double-digits), it’s hard to be overly critical when the team is simply playing above their weight class.

Another note that has flown under the radar is the loss of Larry Nance. He has quietly become one of the NBA’s most underrated players as he was the driving force behind much of their early-season success. Nance is not only their most versatile defender – but the only player on the roster taller than 6’2″ who can handle the ball and create plays for others.

Nance has been sidelined since January with a fractured wrist and his presence has been missed. The Cavaliers Net Rating plummets from 2.4 to negative 14.7 with him off the floor and it certainly doesn’t help that the Cavaliers have been left with no power forward to replace him as Kevin Love continues to nurture his calf.

Meanwhile, Andre Drummond has been permanently relegated to the bench after weeks of uninspired play. The former All-Star was demoralized by the acquisition of his eventual replacement, Jarrett Allen, and has been asked to sit out while the Cleveland Cavaliers front office searches for a trade.

Say what you will about Drummond’s erratic performances but it’s hard to deny he was an impactful player. He hasn’t played in over a week and still places top-10 in total rebounding this season.

Not having Nance, Love or Drummond has shortened the Cavaliers’ rotation and forced them to play less qualified players. As a result, the Cavaliers posted a plus/minus of minus-22 when Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Allen weren’t on the floor versus a plus-6 in the 30 minutes played together on Sunday against Oklahoma City.

https://twitter.com/Cavsanada/status/1363873098257207296

In fact, the Cleveland Cavaliers young core has shown real promise recently. As Justin Rowan pointed out on Twitter, the trio of Garland, Allen and Sexton are posting strong numbers as starters together, while Isaac Okoro has been an exciting prospect with elite two-way potential.

The Cavaliers have real depth problems that will be alleviated by the return of Nance and Love. Bringing the Drummond chapter to an end will further help the team build on its rotations while the upcoming NBA Draft offers another chance to add a cornerstone to the rebuild. So, hold off on pressing the panic button for a while. This team is still headed in the right direction.