CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs’ bench has gone from a projected strength to a glaring weakness, and the Wine and Gold Talk podcast addressed this alarming trend after the Cavs’ 114-110 loss to Detroit.
“I think the other thing that we have to talk about here tonight, Ethan, is that the bench is just becoming a problem,” cleveland.com Cavs beat reporter Chris Fedor said on the podcast. “The bench scored 28 points tonight for the Cavs. The Pistons bench scored 51. That is a slaughter in NBA terms, NBA standards.”
The podcast conversation revealed just how dire the situation has become, with Fedor noting that Cleveland now has “the second least productive bench in the entire NBA.”
Perhaps even more stunning was podcast host Ethan Sands’ revelation about a Detroit two-way player: “Daniss Jenkins finished with 25 points. As you mentioned earlier, the Cavs bench entirely had 28.”
While injuries have forced Kenny Atkinson to shuffle lineups — using 19 different starting combinations so far this season — Fedor questioned whether the offseason moves to strengthen the bench have paid off at all.
“The best of that group? The most consistent of that group has been Thomas Bryant. And he just doesn’t play consistently enough to put that as a feather in your cap,” Fedor explained. “Larry Nance Jr. was ineffective before getting hurt. Lonzo is at the point of unplayable against high level teams.”
Even Atkinson appears to recognize the severity of the bench issues.
According to Fedor, Atkinson acknowledged after the game that they need to “reexamine” their approach, potentially looking at keeping two stars on the floor at all times — a challenging but perhaps necessary adjustment.
The Wine and Gold Talk conversation did provide some context for the bench struggles, with Sands noting that “the Cavs bench, when fully healthy should be one of the most dangerous in the NBA.” However, the current reality is far from that projection.
Craig Porter Jr. was highlighted as one of the few bright spots coming off the bench, with Fedor mentioning that his minutes “were productive tonight” and that he “helped them win the San Antonio game” and contributed to “the fourth quarter comeback against Denver.”
The podcast makes it clear that Cleveland’s championship aspirations cannot be realized without solving their bench problem.
As players return from injury, Atkinson faces the difficult task of finding effective combinations and determining which players deserve minutes in a potentially crowded rotation.
To hear the complete breakdown of the Cavaliers’ bench crisis, including detailed player assessments and potential solutions discussed by Chris Fedor and Ethan Sands, listen to the full episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast now. The discussion offers crucial insights into one of the biggest hurdles standing between the Cavs and their championship goals.
Here’s the podcast for this week: