Last season, en route to their Eastern Conference leading 64-18 record, the Cleveland Cavaliers absolutely dominated the glass, finishing 6th in rebounds per game and second in the conference. Using the two-headed monster of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Cleveland consistently controlled the boards, especially on the defensive end, where they finished 5th.
This year, an up-and-down start has left the Cavaliers sitting at a 10-6 record. Cleveland has found significantly less success collecting rebounds, dropping to bottom-10 in the association.
Not just that, but on the defensive glass, a past strong suit for this Cavaliers group, they've sunk even further. The only team in the East securing less defensive rebounds than Cleveland are the bottom-feeding Brooklyn Nets.
Cavaliers frontcourt needs to rediscover their dominance
Last season, Allen and Mobley came together to average 19.0 rebounds per game between the two of them and were a force on the glass all season long. However, those numbers are down for both players and they have combined to average just 16.2 rebounds.
Allen has had the bigger drop-off, going from a team-leading 9.7 rebounds last season to 7.6 this year. The disparity has mostly come on the defensive end, where his 7.1 defensive boards per game have sunk to 5.2.
A reasonable explanation for Allen's dip in rebounding can plausibly be attributed to an increase in his offensive role. Through the first month or so of this season, his field goal attempts per game have risen by 2.0, and in turn he's averaging over a point more in scoring.
Allen's usage has also skyrocketed to over 20 percent, which would be a career-high if he sustained it throughout the year. Last season, Allen averaged just a 15.9 usage percentage, his lowest since 2019-20.
It's a similar story for Mobley. His rebounding numbers per game have dropped from 9.3 last year to 8.6 this year, with most of the change coming on the defensive end.
With the absence of Darius Garland for much of the year thus far, Mobley has been tasked with a much higher offensive workload. It is a workload that could transcend the reigning Defensive Player of the Year into superstar status.
However, things haven't gone as planned. His scoring output hasn't increased much. His field goal, 3-point and free throw percentages have all dropped while shooting the most shots per game of his career.
Beyond Mobley and Allen, the Cavaliers need to find another playable big that can rebound. So far, the trio of Larry Nance Jr., Dean Wade and Nae'Qwan Tomlin have combined to average 9.2 rebounds per game.
Those aren't terrible numbers, but a lot of each of their minutes comes at the expense of another. If none of them can emerge as suitable backup big men, Cleveland could certainly look for help in the trade market.
Cavaliers need to secure the glass if they want to secure success
While it sounds a bit obvious to say that the best teams usually end up with the most rebounds, it's true and shouldn't be understated. In the Cavaliers first six losses of the season, they've been out-rebounded in five of them, with the outlier being the overtime defeat to the Miami Heat.
Cleveland's lack of physicality on the glass was on display in Wednesday's home loss to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets lead the league in rebounds, and they easily out-boarded the Cavaliers by a margin of 51-39.
It is possible for teams to succeed without controlling the glass. The Indiana Pacers won the East after being 28th in rebounds in the regular season last year.
However, the Cavaliers have built their identity on size and physicality. A big reason why the pairing of Mobley and Allen is still intact is to establish that exact identity, and if they can't do that then it wouldn't be a shock for Allen to be on the move in the next few months.
While Garland's return to the scene won't lead to himself getting more rebounds, it will allow the two bigs to free up from the burdening offensive load. That should let them operate with an emphasis on rebounding.
There's a lot of basketball left to be played, but the Cavaliers output on the glass is a glaring statistic that sums up their inconsistent results.