CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs’ offense has undergone a significant transformation this season, but not necessarily for the better.
After ranking among the best in the league in points in the paint last season, Cleveland has plummeted to the point that has many questioning the team’s offensive identity.
At the heart of this shift is Evan Mobley, whose game has drifted further from the basket in ways that cleveland.com Cavs reporter Chris Fedor finds deeply concerning.
“I think the shot profile of Evan Mobley is incredibly alarming,” Fedor said on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast. “His shot profile, fewer paint touches, more ball handling, more jumpers, more threes. Last year, about 70% of Evan Mobley’s shot attempts came less than 10ft away. So far this season, his pull up rate has gone from 8.2 to 27.9.”
This dramatic change represents a 240% increase in pull-up jump shots for a player whose greatest offensive value has traditionally come around the rim. The numbers tell a troubling story: Mobley’s shots within 10 feet of the basket have dropped from approximately 70% of his attempts to around 50%.
Is this shift deliberate? According to Fedor, it appears to be part of head coach Kenny Atkinson’s vision to expand Mobley’s offensive repertoire. However, the results have been mixed at best.
“But I think it’s hard to sit here and say that it’s leading to success because the version that the Cavs have gotten of Evan Mobley on the offensive end is still very inconsistent,” Fedor said. “It still looks very unpolished at times. It looks very, very forced.”
The transition hasn’t just affected Mobley. Jarrett Allen has also fallen out of the top 25 in paint scoring, contributing to Cleveland’s diminished interior presence. This represents a fundamental shift in how the Cavaliers generate offense compared to last season’s historically efficient attack.
What makes this situation particularly intriguing is the team’s apparent indifference toward early-season results. This strategic pivot seems to be part of a larger plan focused on playoff readiness rather than regular-season dominance.
“In so many ways, the Cavs are learning about this version of the Cavs,” Fedor noted. “Strengths, weaknesses, lineups, combinations, where they can be successful on the offensive end of the floor, where they can’t.”
This experimental approach explains why the team isn’t panicking about statistical regression. They view November as a laboratory for playoff success rather than a time to establish dominance. The question remains whether this high-risk strategy will ultimately pay off.
For fans accustomed to last year’s record-setting offense, this season’s more tentative, jump-shot heavy approach has been jarring. But the organization appears committed to the process, believing that these growing pains are necessary for postseason evolution.
The coming months will reveal whether Mobley’s expanded range and Cleveland’s reduced interior presence represent a successful adaptation or a concerning departure from what made them special in the first place.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
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