This is a time and space where your favorite RealCavsFans personalities will come together to answer questions round-table style.
With our first RCF Roundtable, please welcome Sebastian, our great site owner; The Oi, one part of our own RCF podcast: Rubber Rim Job; and RCFWriter (@RCFWriter on Twitter/X), who will be the RCF front page lead writer.
- What is the next level for Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell?
RCFWriter: Better offense.
Of 2-man pairings with at least 1,000 minutes last year, Mitchell and Garland were 39th in net rating at +8. That was also good for 6th best on the Cavs filtered with the same qualifiers. So good, but it can be better. (For comparison: Denver and Boston dominated the top-25 2-man pairings with Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. putting up a league best +15.1 net rating.)
How good Garland and Mitchell can be, and in turn the Cavs, depends on how much more of an increased offensive output they can muster. The offense is built around the guards and, to a fault at times, is dependent on their individual creation (as seen in their 2-man assist numbers). In theory, having additional spacing should only see the assist numbers increase and have a domino effect on the pairing’s success, and teams’ success.
You saw the flow between the two improve as the season went on (+6.8 net rating pre-ASG vs +10.3 post-ASG). That comes with time particularly when you have two primary ball-handlers needing to figure out how to play together.
Sebastian: I think Garland's ceiling won't be reached for a few years, but I think this year he is going to take a big step forward. First and foremost, he and Mitchell need to get more used to playing together. It was an on and off growing pain last season. Regarding his offensive game, I think the Knicks series demonstrated that he could be savvier in less-than-optimal situations. They bullied him and doubled him, and he had a lot of turnovers. I think we will see more assists from him as well and continuing growth on the defensive side. He has had great games, but his next evolution is simply taking over games, which is something all the great point guards need to be able to do before being anointed as elite. I think he will make the All-Star team this year and take last year's snub as a mandate to work harder.
For Mitchell, obviously his offensive game is damn near perfect in the regular season. But again, the Knicks series resulted in an atypical playoff appearance for him. When he wasn't scoring it seems he wasn't contributing much. I don't know if he mailed it in or not, but I think we all expected more. We've seen him take over games in the playoffs, so I am not certain it was a situation where he needs to improve on aspects of his game. The whole team appeared to mail it in, so who knows. One can always be more efficient and do more when not scoring.
The Oi:
Darius - He is prone to making ill-advised plays in crunch time. I want to see him clean those up. I understand that Donovan is the alpha dog, which means the team follows his lead and he will typically get the big shots. But Golden State has managed a situation where they have multiple leaders with different personalities willing them along. I want to see Darius proving he can do that late in the season and in the playoffs. I want to see the big Steph Curry plays that gets the team off on runs or brings them back from behind.
Donovan - He is by nature an individual, score-first player. He’s not going to change and become a distributor. What I want to see from Donovan is a guy that doesn’t shrink in the moment in the playoffs. I genuinely don’t know what happened. But it can’t happen again. Donovan is tough. 71 points in the regular season is great. We need a guy that can go out and get us 30-40 any given night to get us through the grind of the regular season.
Donovan+Darius - Both of them need to figure out how to maximize Mobley’s skillset. That’s the most important thing.
- How good is good enough for Evan Mobley on offense?
RCF Writer: Let’s start with being consistently assertive. Everybody wants the mid and long range, and rightly so, but establishing himself on offense on a possession-by-possession basis is where things start.
There were some stretches late in the year, where Mobley was decisive, physical, and strong in attacking. And despite the lack of lower body strength, there’s not a ton of players that can deal with his length, athletic ability, and touch when he’s assertive.
As that happens, the offensive threat will grow. The focus for Mobley to expand his offensive range is more so based in need of the roster, then need for his own individual skillset. As the range extends, so will his offensive impact, but for now the range is a bonus add if he can add it.
Sebastian: Clearly, we want to see Mobley finally start to emerge as a high-level offensive player. Looking at Garnett, it wasn't until his third season that he made the leap into a consistent scorer. If Mobley took the leap to 19 PPG with 10 RPG, becoming quite efficient in the post, and scoring away from the hoop, as well as showing improvement in shooting threes, it would be immensely beneficial. With a 20/10 Mobley the Cavs would be looking at the ECF. But like with Garnett, for Mobley to become a transcendent star, he needs to become the type of offensive player that matches his defensive prowess; a guy that can score 25 efficient points a night, who can take over quarters, who is not being bullied in the paint, and who makes his teammates better on offense. He needs to be consistent with his shooting, and as a focal point of the offense. He needs to get stronger, or barring that, savvier and more fluid. So, I would like to see Mobley put up around 19 PPG this year. For the Cavs to make the move to the Finals, Mobley needs to be a guy who is easily a 22-24 PPG type of guy. As we saw with the Knicks, having two guys that score at will isn't enough. Mobley needs to become the third guy that can throw up an easy 30 on any given night to keep playoff defenses from doubling the guards.
The Oi: He needs to be one of the best offensive players in the league.
Darius and Donovan are guards. When it comes playoff time, small guard sets have not historically brought back success. It’s largely been big ball-dominant wings because they’re so hard to stop in crunch time.
Jokic is breaking the mold.
@RchfldCavRaised talked about Unicorn type players breaking the existing mold. Big guys who score from all over the court. Wemby, Jokic, Holmgren, and hopefully our guy.
We need Mobley to be able to score consistently in three to four different ways so teams can’t crowd our guards. I like to think he can score 18-20 ppg by mastering:
- move/counter-move info flip, scoop or baby hook from 5-7 feet
- elbow jumper
- baseline jumper
I don’t see a three pointer being part of his immediate game. His shot is just too flat and I think he’d clog up the court.
- Ricky wasn't Ricky last year, and now it's unclear how much, if any, of a role he will play this upcoming season. Are you comfortable with the ball-handling duties behind Garland and Mitchell, and what do you expect to see?
RCF Writer: Yes. If anything, the Cavs may be better with Ricky off the roster (more on that later).
With the addition of Max Strus, that means Caris LeVert will likely be the sixth man and paired with bench guards and wings. While Rubio had a positive net rating with most other players, the LeVert-Rubio net rating was -7.1 on the season with a measly 100.8 offensive rating. The pairing just did not work. Meanwhile, LeVert was a plus with any 2-man combination of the other guards (Mitchell: +5.9, Garland: +7.9 and Okoro: +2.1). Removing Rubio from the bench rotation hopefully means more Garland-LeVert-Okoro (+8.7 net rating) second unit runs.
When they’re in need of another ball-handler, Ty Jerome is more than capable of a ball-handler but provides more spacing than Rubio. Jerome is a career 35.8% 3PT shooter, and is 39.3%, 29.9% and 41.2% on catch-and-shoot 3PT shots the last three years. What the Cavs may lack in ball-handling and creativity, they would gain in floor spacing. Mitchell and Garland were tops in the league in drives, and assists off drives last year, yet the Cavs were dead last in assisted made 3PTers. So more spacing can help.
Sebastian: It is most unfortunate the trajectory of Ricky's career following his injury. In my mind he is gone. Whether he plays or not, at his age, and with that injury history, the Cavs cannot count on him to be the dude he was in 2021-2022. I don't think the Cavs have enough depth at PG, or enough ball-handlers for anyone to be comfortable. I don't blame the FO for not making a bigger move for a backup PG because they thought they had a guy who played a key role well. Ricky blind-sided them with his constructive retirement. I think they need to invest capital in a true backup PG because Caris is not the permanent solution. Which leads to…
The Oi: I don’t know what’s going on with Ricky or what “mental health” means for him specifically, but I wish him the best. The team looked great with him at the helm, plus he seems like a good dude.
I’m really bullish on Ty Jerome, who we know is an excellent shooter. Now it’s time to see if he can lead an offense.
- All the focus this off-season was on retaining Caris LeVert, and adding shooting in Maxx Strus and Georges Niang, but the Cavs also made two other additions: Damian Jones and Ty Jerome. They will likely be on the fringes of the rotation but figure to get minutes at some point. What do you expect either or to bring to this team?
RCF Writer: Both figure to be on the fringes of the rotation, along with Dean Wade. Their minutes figure to be dependent on injuries and game-by-game matchups.
However, James may figure to have a bit more prominent of a role early on than Jerome. Between Mitchell, Garland, and LeVert, they averaged 101 minutes per game last year, which more than covers the backcourt spot and spills a bit over into the SF position. Meanwhile, Mobley and Allen 67 minutes per game. Factor in Niang for about 20 minutes per game, which Love garnered before his banishment, and that leaves around 10 minutes per game. It’s also no secret Bickerstaff likely rode Allen too much last year, and he’s better managed in the 28-31 minutes per game than the 32-35 minutes per game range.
James not only has immediate minutes for the taking but should he play well enough he could allow Allen to rest more. He gives Bickerstaff another player to up some fouls, provide a spark off the bench in small spurts – say five minutes a half.
Sebastian: Jones and Jerome are fine for the end of the bench. They weren't meant to play a big role this coming season, but here we are. Unless they take a big leap, I don't expect much. Yeah, we'll see them have a few good games, but the boards will be alive with complaints about the lack of back-up ball-handling. Again, the Cavs need to get a proper backup PG by playoff time or they will regret it.
The Oi: See above re-Jerome.
Depends what the Cavs are planning to do with Tristan. With Jarrett out to start the season Jones may get thrown right into the fire, if the Cavs aren’t planning to play TT.
I’m not expecting a ton out of Damian. Hope he surprises.
- Who is one young player you’re keeping an eye on?
RCF Writer: Emoni Bates is the popular answer, Sam Merrill is the fun answer, but Isaiah Mobley is the right answer.
Mobley continuing his strong summer and taking the next step to a productive NBA big would really help. While the Cavs brought in Tristan Thompson to help more off the court than on the court, it also speaks to how thin the roster is behind Allen and Mobley. Thompson and James are the only players with center experience and Wade and Niang are the only ones with power forward experience (both being undersized). With that, a safety net of playable size at either position could assist with the depth concerns at either spot.
Sebastian: I am keeping my good eye on our friend Dean Wade. We now know that injuries really limited him at a time we most needed him thanks to the stupendous idiocy of losing Kevin Love for nothing due to JBB's endless stubbornness. We know Wade is a good piece when healthy and to be honest, I am not a big fan of the Niang move because he is a one-dimensional player. A healthy Wade gives the Cavs some real flexibility on both ends of the court. He can be played without worrying about surrendering more points than he puts up. You can never have too many big men who can shoot and play some D.
But also, my other eye is watching with great interest the development of young Emoni Bates, and Travers. It would be a pleasant surprise to see one of them develop into a true piece. Both have a lot of potential. Bates is the very definition of the lottery ticket. I truly hope he does well, not just for the Cavs but for him personally. Few top prospects have been failed so much as Bates. I would love to see him fulfill his potential.
The Oi: Emoni. I can’t wait to see him in the pros.
