CLEVELAND, Ohio – A year ago, the Cavs were a “pretty” team.
If the Cavs are to be a factor in the playoffs and finish this season strong, they have to become more “gritty.”
I sound like J.B. Bickerstaff with his themes of “embrace the grit … grit and grind” when he coached the Cavs from 2020-24.
The Cavs of 2024-25 had the second-highest offensive rating since the NBA began keeping that stat in 1973. The Cavs of 2024-25 led the NBA in scoring (122 points per game), and were second in field-goal percentage (49%) and third in 3-point shooting (38%).
Coach Kenny Atkinson was hired before the 2024-25 season to transform the Cavs into the Boston Celtics, who won the 2024 NBA title and led the league in 3-point attempts.
There was some sound logic behind the change from Bickerstaff’s defensive-first mindset to a free-flow offense with terrific shooting. It fit the Cavs’ talent being assembled by the front office. Also, the lack of offense haunted the Cavs in the playoffs during the Bickerstaff Era.
But that 2024-25 team is basically gone.
Darius Garland is haunted by toe injuries. He’s had them on both feet. He’s in and out of the lineup. When he plays, he’s a defensive disaster. His offense had started to come around when he injured his other toe last week.
There are times when I see Garland’s long-term future as instant offense off the bench. He can be a scorer who lifts the team, and also can benefit by not always having to defend opposing starting guards. It’s not ideal to have a guy on a maximum contract coming off the bench. But this really shouldn’t be about contracts; it’s about finding the right rotations and mix of players.
The Cavs had Ty Jerome coming off the bench as that dynamic scorer last year. He left via free agency for Memphis and has yet to play in a game due to a calf injury. They haven’t been able to replace that super-sub on offense. De’Andre Hunter was supposed to help in that area, but he’s incredibly inconsistent.
Enough of what was a year ago.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Utah Jazz, January 12, 2026
Evan Mobley getting back to his Defensive Player of the Year form. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Reasons for hope
For all the whining (some of it legitimate) about the Cavs this season, they are 25-20. They have won 8 of their last 12 games. The injuries are real and significant. In Wednesday’s victory in Charlotte, the Cavs used their 24th different starting lineup. They had only 23 last year.
I see signs of them coming around for a few reasons:
When they are winning, they are outrebounding the other team and usually scoring more points in the paint.
The young guys bring energy, defense and grit to the game: Jaylon Tyson, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Craig Porter Jr. Tyrese Proctor is now joining the group.
Evan Mobley is getting back to being Evan Mobley, Defensive Player of the Year, and not trying to show he has all these different aspects of his ability to score.
The Cavs have consistently been outrebounding teams lately. They did that in back-to-back wins in Philadelphia last week. They crushed Charlotte on the boards Wednesday night (60-47). Even in their stinker of a 136-104 loss to Oklahoma City on Monday, they outrebounded the Thunder 54-38 and outscored them in the paint (48-42).
The difference is the defending champions are an elite team in every aspect in terms of defending all over the court and ball movement on offense. They are relentless, athletic and on a mission. They held the Cavs to 37% shooting while they shot 54%.
OKC is the No. 1-ranked defense this season. They were No. 1 last season.
I’m a bit skeptical of individual defensive rating stats because they partly depend on what type of defense is played. That said, the top four individual defenders all play for Oklahoma City, according to Stat Muse. The only Cavalier in the top 25 is Mobley at No. 12.
The game that bothered me was the 123-112 loss to Utah on Jan. 12. The Cavs were at home. They were destroyed 50-30 on the boards. They had zero energy and forgot about what it now takes for them to win. They should be embarrassed by that game. Utah lost their next fur games after beating the Cavs at Rocket Arena.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, January 19, 2026
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter Jr. blocks the shot of 7-foot OKC center Chet Holmgren. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Pretty to gritty
Donovan Mitchell has carried the Cavs this season. This is his best season in his four years with the Cavs. He needs help, and not just on offense.
For all the talk about not having Garland, the Cavs are 12-7 without him and 13-13 when he plays. Part of the reason for that is Garland is not close to his form of a year ago.
The player the Cavs miss the most is Sam Merrill. They are 16-8 when he plays, 9-12 when he’s injured.
Atkinson has been trying to change the Cavs focus to being more of a physical team. Porter, Tomlin and Tyson have earned more minutes. Tyson is starting, so no argument there.
The injuries have given the young guys to play. They can bring grit to the game. Porter has blocked shots of 7-footers, such as Charlotte’s Ryan Kalkbrenner in Monday’s victory.
Atkinson calls Porter, “My 6-foot-2 power forward.”
He’s actually listed at 6-foot-1.
Larry Nance Jr. is finally healthy, and he can help on the boards and with his defense.
In some ways, Tomlin reminds me of a very young Dennis Rodman. I’m old enough to have watched Rodman in his first training camp with the Detroit Pistons in 1986. The Cavs played him during the preseason in Windsor, Ontario.
Last season, basketball often was easy for the Cavs because of their elite shooting and skill level. They simply could out-score most teams. That team is gone and it’s not coming back.
For the Cavs to make the top six in the East (and avoid the play-in tournament), they need to go from pretty to gritty. Not every game has to be like the 94-87 victory over Charlotte, but some will look that way.
The Cavs shut down the Hornets, who had the NBA’s highest offensive rating in their previous 10 games before Wednesday night. They can defend at a much higher level than their current 15th ranking.
Putting players on the court to deliver that style is a recipe to make that happen, as the Cavs have been doing lately. It’s time for them to go all-in in re-creating themselves.