2023-24 Regular Season Thread

[STAT]

A stat reflecting the excellent Strus-Mobley connection—

Assists to Mobley to date this season:

Strus - 25
Mitchell - 14
LeVert - 14
Garland - 14
Allen - 7

 

[STAT]

A stat reflecting the excellent Strus-Mobley connection—

Assists to Mobley to date this season:

Strus - 25
Mitchell - 14
LeVert - 14
Garland - 14
Allen - 7

Going the other way, Mobley has assisted Strus 14 times, eclipsed only by Mitchell’s 20 and Garland’s 15.

 

[Beanie4Heisman]

 

[adam81king]

A stat reflecting the excellent Strus-Mobley connection—

Assists to Mobley to date this season:

Strus - 25
Mitchell - 14
LeVert - 14
Garland - 14
Allen - 7

I haven't attempted to look up the stats (perhaps someone with interest can), but I have a feeling these numbers validate the Strus signing as much as, if not more than, any other single stat. Why? Because I have serious doubts that any non-DG or Don player assisted Evan (or JA) at a rate anywhere near Strus last year. I don't mean no other player was #1 in assists to Mobley, I mean, I don't think any other player (aside from DG or Don) assisted more to Mobley per touch. This means Strus is far more than a catch-and-shoot player (like Korver was, or many of the other suggested options in FA), and that his gravity as a shooter allows other players to be open where they can score the ball. This is a big boost to the offense, in my mind.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Garland started the season 2-for-15 on 3-point attempts but since then is 18-for-42 (42.9%). He's shooting less at 14.3 shots per game against 17.3 two years ago and 16.4 last year. His assists are down from 7.8 per game last year to 5.8 this year and his turnovers are up from 2.9 to 4.2 despite playing two less minutes.

I assume the injury that caused him to miss a portion of training camp and the first five games is responsible in part (or in full) for his slow start. Nice to see the 3-point shooting is coming around, but I want to see his turnovers and assist numbers get back to where they were last year. He's taking fewer 3's (4.4 per game against 6.0 and 6.7 the last two years). By not forcing up as many contested 3's his shooting percentage the last nine games is nearly 43% against a career average of 38.6%.

As he gets further away from his injury I expect to see those assist and turnover numbers improve while the 3-point shooting hopefully will stay in the 43% area now that he's taking fewer of them. Having Strus starting instead of Okoro probably results in fewer short clocks where Darius is forced to launch a contested 3.

Strus is averaging 7.6 three-point attempts per game. Last year Okoro averaged 2.3. However, as a team the Cavs are hitting 35.1% of their 3's against 36.5% last year. The biggest offender is LeVert at 31.3% on 5.5 shots per game, third highest. But the bigger problem is we don't have anybody in the rotation shooting over 36% except Strus at 38.7%.

 

[kidduck]

Frustrated by his slow recovery from a severe right ankle sprain, Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome has adjusted his treatment plan in the hopes of accelerating his return to the court, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link).


As Fedor details, Jerome recently had the ankle immobilized within a cast, which he’ll wear for about a week. The hope is that he’ll be able to resume individual workouts after having the cast removed.


“He is recovering,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Tuesday. “They’re doing different steps with him and trying some new things, different things in order to help him. He’s doing another treatment now and I’ll let the medical staff talk about timeline when they put all that together. He’s trying something different than just the normal rehab.”


Jerome has long been a favorite of Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman, according to Fedor. When he signed a two-year deal with the team this past summer, the plan was for him to be mentored by veteran point guard Ricky Rubio.


Instead, due to Rubio’s absence, Jerome was thrust into the backup point guard role to open the season, then suffered the ankle injury in just his second game as a Cavalier. While it hasn’t been an ideal start to his time in Cleveland, Jerome is trying to look at the bright side, telling Fedor, “Guess it’s better to be injured early rather than late.”

 

[foucault87]

Garland started the season 2-for-15 on 3-point attempts but since then is 18-for-42 (42.9%). He's shooting less at 14.3 shots per game against 17.3 two years ago and 16.4 last year. His assists are down from 7.8 per game last year to 5.8 this year and his turnovers are up from 2.9 to 4.2 despite playing two less minutes.

I assume the injury that caused him to miss a portion of training camp and the first five games is responsible in part (or in full) for his slow start. Nice to see the 3-point shooting is coming around, but I want to see his turnovers and assist numbers get back to where they were last year. He's taking fewer 3's (4.4 per game against 6.0 and 6.7 the last two years). By not forcing up as many contested 3's his shooting percentage the last nine games is nearly 43% against a career average of 38.6%.

As he gets further away from his injury I expect to see those assist and turnover numbers improve while the 3-point shooting hopefully will stay in the 43% area now that he's taking fewer of them. Having Strus starting instead of Okoro probably results in fewer short clocks where Darius is forced to launch a contested 3.

Strus is averaging 7.6 three-point attempts per game. Last year Okoro averaged 2.3. However, as a team the Cavs are hitting 35.1% of their 3's against 36.5% last year. The biggest offender is LeVert at 31.3% on 5.5 shots per game, third highest. But the bigger problem is we don't have anybody in the rotation shooting over 36% except Strus at 38.7%.

I think his shot distribution has moved closer to the hoop. He is shooting fewer 3s but that has been replaced by more rim attempts. I dont dislike this change tho I would like to see him go back to that beautiful floater more. While the numbers dont bear it out yet, it does feel like he has been getting to the line more this year. Having two guards to apply rim pressure opens up a lot for the secondary guys, especially since we have two massive lob threats

 

[Lee]

That bedazzled ball is sick.

 

[Beanie4Heisman]

That bedazzled ball is sick.

 

[macbdog]

That basketball costs more then the whole Gs payroll.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

I think his shot distribution has moved closer to the hoop. He is shooting fewer 3s but that has been replaced by more rim attempts. I dont dislike this change tho I would like to see him go back to that beautiful floater more. While the numbers dont bear it out yet, it does feel like he has been getting to the line more this year. Having two guards to apply rim pressure opens up a lot for the secondary guys, especially since we have two massive lob threats

With the additions of Strus and Niang it makes sense for Garland to do more dribble penetration to suck the bigs to him and open up kickouts to the corners and wings for uncontested 3's. However, his assists are down, so that's not really happening. Mostly when he gets into the paint it ends with a layup, floater, or lob to the rim.

 

[foucault87]

K

With the additions of Strus and Niang it makes sense for Garland to do more dribble penetration to suck the bigs to him and open up kickouts to the corners and wings for uncontested 3's. However, his assists are down, so that's not really happening. Mostly when he gets into the paint it ends with a layup, floater, or lob to the rim.

Kickouts have always been a weakness in his passing game. He is great at interior mapping but you don't see him kick it out as much as Mitchell, Levert, CPJ or even Mobley

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

cleaningtheglass.com has the Cavs better defensively by 9.4 points per 100 possessions when Strus is on the floor and also 9.4 points better with Mitchell. Wade is next best at 9.3 followed by Mobley at 8.9. All of them are in the 92nd to 94th percentile among players at their positions.

After those four there's a dropoff to Okoro at 5.3 (80th percentile among wings) and then Garland at 1.0. Surprisingly, the Cavs are only 0.4 points better defensively with Allen on the floor.

When we have a solid lead in the 4th quarter and want to shut the opponent down I recommend a unit of Mitchell, Strus, Okoro, Wade, and Mobley.

Actually, that lineup has been on the floor for 36 possessions this year and they got killed, allowing 36 more points than they scored per 100 possessions. Small sample, of course, but they've been awful offensively, scoring just 64 points per 100 possessions. You can't put Okoro and Wade on the floor together.

Our best defensive lineup, among those on the floor for more than 20 possessions, has been Garland, Mitchell, Strus, LeVert, and Mobley, which is surprising because LeVert does not have a good defensive rating and Garland is neutral. But that lineup is scoring 130 points and allowing 76 points per 100 possessions. It has been the "death lineup" for opponents. Five guys who can all score and three of them are in the top 8% at their positions in defensive on/off. That unit has been on the floor for 54 possessions, or a little over one half. Not a big sample, but I'd like to see more.

The group that really does well together is Mitchell, Strus, LeVert, and Mobley. Put Niang with that foursome and they outscore opponents by 29.4 points. Put in Allen instead of Niang and it's 28.7 points. Put in Wade and it's 12.3. The only fifth wheel that doesn't work is Okoro at -13.5.

One of the keys of basketball coaching is to find the combination of players that fit best together so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In an NBA season you have 82 games to accomplish that. I'll keep an eye on these units going forward and see which ones emerge as the most effective.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

From The Athletic:

Nine of the 16 worst defensive seasons in NBA history are happening this season. NINE! The Wizards (120.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) and Hornets (120.3) are duking it out for the worst defense ever. The 2022-23 Spurs (120.0) hold that full-season honor.

This season’s Pacers can finish with both the best offense and worst defense in NBA history. This is what the NBA wants: Sex and scoring sells. It all makes some sense. The flip side is illustrated by the Timberwolves' league-leading defense (105.9 defensive rating) currently ranking just 516th all-time.

Some of this is influenced by the incredible skill development and talent of today’s players. Getting a hand up doesn’t cut it anymore, but the NBA doesn’t have many rules to help defenders. In other words, make sure you watch the Pacers all season. Good and bad records could fall at once.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Somebody named Ethan Sands at cleveland.com had this column:

Darius Garland is not playing like Darius Garland, and it’s hurting the Cavs

Cavs point guard Darius Garland is struggling with turnovers and a decline in assist production, posing a challenge for the team's playoff aspirations.

www.cleveland.com

Garland missed a big chunk of camp and then the first five games of the regular season so I'm hoping his decrease in assists and increase in turnovers is just temporary. If it's not we're in trouble.

If not for Garland's eight turnovers and poor shooting we would have beat Portland last night. He wasn't the only culprit (Strus and Mitchell combined to go 2-for-15 from deep), but Darius has not been Darius this year.