CLEVELAND, Ohio — Scribbles in my Cavs notebook:
1. The Cavs had five days to rest and practice before taking the court Friday night in Washington. They needed it. They are unhappy with their record 15-11. As coach Kenny Atkinson said, “It doesn’t feel good right now. It’s like being down 2-1 in the playoffs. We are a little on edge. It’s not fun … the question is, how do we react?”
2. The answer to Atkinson’s question was a 130-126 victory over a 3-20 Washington team. They needed 48 points from Donovan Mitchell to make that happen. Atkinson has talked about Mitchell being “Superman” in some games this season. This was another example. But it’s a tough way to play. Darius Garland is back from major turf toe surgery. He’s played 10 games and not looked anywhere close to his All-Star form of a year ago. Garland is shooting 35% from the field, 24% on 3-pointers. He has struggled defensively. His usual quickness is not there. In some games, he’s had trouble driving around defenders to the rim. He did connect on several drives in the second half Friday, a positive sign.
3. Atkinson on Garland: “He’s not back to where he was last year, but he’s definitely getting better. It’s a difficult injury. But we are seeing flashes (of Garland’s best). He is showing progress.”
4. How to handle Garland during this period of adjustment to playing is a challenge. In the last five games prior to Friday, the Cavs were outscored by 18, 27, 8 and 5 points with Garland on the court.
5. For the season, the Cavs have been outscored by 30 points with Garland on the court. The only Cavs who are worse are Luke Travers (minus-29) and Tyrese Proctor (minus-40). Those two young players often play after the game has been decided.
6. The rest at plus/minus: Donovan Mitchell (+159), Evan Mobley (+88), Jarrett Allen (+78), Nae’Qwan Tomlin (+58), Jaylon Tyson (+35), Sam Merrill (+43), Craig Porter Jr. (+31), Lonzo Ball (+47), Dean Wade (+27), De’Andre Hunter (minus-27), Thomas Bryant (minus-12) and Larry Nance Jr. (minus-22).
7. Plus/minus can be a bit deceiving because some of it depends upon the others on the court. But Tomlin at +58 screams he deserves more playing time. I write this after Tomlin fouled out in 10 minutes in Friday’s game. Disturbing is Hunter at minus-10. He’s been starting. But he seems to fade a bit. Hunter is shooting 44% from the field, only 31% on 3-pointers. He’s averaging 16 points and 4.4 rebounds, which are solid numbers. I wonder if he’d be better off coming off the bench as he did last season.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Portland Trail Blazers, December 3, 2025
Jaylon Tyson has been the biggest pleasant surprise of the Cavs season.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
8. The Cavs keep talking about wanting more energy. You start with Mitchell, Mobley and Garland. I’d add Tyson and Tomlin to the mix – even if Tomlin doesn’t start. Craig Porter Jr. also deserves more court time. Look for guys who bring more life (and defense) to the game.
9. Atkinson has talked about missing players who move more without the ball. He calls them “connectors.” Max Strus (out with foot surgery) and Sam Merrill (wrist injury) are two of those type of players. That’s true. But Porter and Tyson can help in that area.
10. I like this from Atkinson: “I need to look in the mirror. Need to be more hands on … more intentional … when it comes to coaching our young guys.”
11. Listening to some of the dialogue around the Cavs, you’d swear they were falling apart. Part of it is the Cavs had a 64-18 record last season. Expectations are high for this season.
12. Atkinson talked about the team ranking in the top 10 in offensive efficiency (No. 10) and defensive efficiency (No. 8): “I’m not satisfied with where we are, but it’s important not to panic and over-react. We don’t need to change our whole philosophy … we’ve slipped in some areas and we need to address that.”
13. The coach has continued to pound away at the players to improve their rebounding. The Cavs rank 17th. He wants to see them go to the rim more often. The Cavs are 23rd in “points in the paint.”
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio Spurs, December 5, 2025
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson is working to get Cavs headed back in the right direction. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
14. During the five-day break in the schedule, Atkinson had some tough practices and film sessions. He shows the players how they have been letting missed shots impact their effort on defense. The Cavs guards are allowing their men to drive to rim. The perimeter defense is soft.
15. A year ago, the Cavs had the highest offensive efficiency in the NBA. They led the league in scoring at 122 points per game. With a healthy and talented roster of gifted players on offense, the game often came easy for them. But that’s not the case this season with all the injuries, etc. Defense is more important. The Cavs have to find more ways to win “ugly” games where they are not shooting well.
16. The Cavs are leading the NBA in 3-point shots attempted. But they rank 23rd in 3-point percentage. In fact, they are shooting more 3-pointers (44 per game) than they did last season (42 per game). The Cavs were fourth in 3-point percentage.
17. The Cavs have a 4-7 record when they take more than 45 shots from 3-point range. They are 11-4 when they are below 45 per game. There are clear lessons in all these stats about their excessive 3-point shooting. They fired up 53 shots from 3-point range Friday. Too many! Mitchell was 8 for 15. The rest of the team was 7 for 38. Garland was 1 for 11. His confidence is shaky on his outside shot.
18. A way to win some of those “ugly” games is to drive to the rim more, draw fouls and score inside. Atkinson has been stressing this to the players.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Portland Trail Blazers, December 3, 2025
Evan Mobley has to remember he can score easily near the rim. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
19. Early in the season, the Cavs wanted Mobley to take another step forward in becoming an all-around player on offense. They asked him to handle the ball more, look for more shots. That led to Mobley sometimes taking too many outside shots and not using his 7-foot frame to score inside.
20. Atkinson said: “I have to take some of that (the blame). We tried to force feed and didn’t put him in the best position. He’s getting back to going to rim more. He’s getting better.”
21. Mobley is only 24. It feels like he’s older because this is his fourth NBA season. There has been too much talk of him becoming another Giannis Antetokounmpo, Chris Bosh or even Kevin Garnett. Let him develop his own style. He already was the 2025 NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year. He’s averaging 19 points and 9.1 rebounds, shooting 50% from the field.
22. I do agree with Cavs broadcaster (and five-time All-Star center) Brad Daugherty, who often says Mobley can score more often (and easier) with his jump hook shot near the rim.