The Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled this season, especially over the past few weeks. They have lost three straight, four of five and five of their last seven.
Injuries are a big factor in that. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said that while they don’t account for all of the current problems with this team, it cannot be ignored.
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“The healthier we are, the better we’ll be,” Atkinson said before Monday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. “We’ve gone from the healthiest team in the league to the healthiest team in the league [the most injured] teams in the league. [These are] fact. Sixteen different starting lineups…I believe tied for first in most different starting lineups. “
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The Cavaliers have just four games this season with their core of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen available. When they’re on the floor together, the team is pretty good, outscoring opponents by 25.9 points per 100 possessions (100th percentile). Given that they played together for less than 60 minutes, it’s up to you how you want to utilize this sample size. Then again, the whole problem with this team is that they can’t stay on the court together.
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Additionally, returning players are still trying to find their form. The same goes for Garland, who had his best game of the season on Friday. In the loss to the Chicago Bulls, he scored a season-high 35 points and eight assists.
“His improvement is predictable,” Atkinson said of Garland’s recent stellar play. “[He was] Four months out, no offseason, no training camp. [He] Apparently the season hasn’t started yet. Growth has been slow. So we knew there would be a runway. “
The ascent is really slow. Garland shot 49% at the rim (15th) and his three-point percentage (32.2%) was a career low. His turnovers are also up from last year, while his assists are down.
“It’s like a quarterback coming back from an injury,” Atkinson said.[how he’s moving] That’s what you’re looking at. As they get healthier, accuracy gets better. I just give this kid a lot of credit. I think he’s going through something and it’s part of the injury. But he was once a soldier. It was great to see him play DG that night. “
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Getting Garland back to All-Star form would go a long way in helping the Cavaliers turn around this season.
It’s easy to get frustrated with the Cavaliers’ recent performance. Their losses — especially recent losses to struggling teams — point to issues not just injury-related. At the same time, Atkinson understandably preaches the need for patience.
Even though the Cavaliers have been as bad as expected this season, they still find themselves one game above .500. They have yet to secure a spot at the top of the table and are more than capable of turning things around.
“When you guys ask me, ‘Well, what kind of grades [would you give for the season]I gave it a B,” Atkinson said. “I bought the dip this time because I knew what was going to happen to us. I love our leadership. “