Let's not pull any punches here. The Cavs' defense right now is garbage — except, much like an opposing 3-pointer shooter, it's garbage the Cavs keep staring at and refusing to address.
The Cavs still have plenty of time to fix this before the playoffs, but Cleveland currently ranks dead last in the NBA in defensive rating at 111.7. Compare that to last year's mark of 108.0 and 102.3 during the 2015-16 season, which ended in a championship parade.
Call it too small of a sample size (10 games) if you'd like. Use the "LeBron James will turn it on come playoff time" argument. It's certainly not appropiate to panic yet, but head coach Tyronn Lue needs to do something to bring up the intensity on the defensive end following Sunday's 117-115 loss to the Hawks, which dropped the Cavs to 4-6 overall.
Ty Lue: “I think guys are embarrassed and they should be embarrassed”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 6, 2017
MORE: Well, at least the Cavs had fun at LeBron's Halloween party
Let's focus on that Hawks' victory at Quicken Loans Arena because it served as a microcosm of the Cavs' defensive deficiencies. There are a few areas where Cleveland falls short, so brace yourselves. The film isn't pretty.
Isolation breakdowns
The Cavs are allowing the second-most points per possession (1.22) in the league on isolation plays behind only the Wizards (1.23), the team James just torched for 57 points Friday. The Cavs offer little resistance at the point of attack, leading to easy driving lanes down the middle of the floor. Derrick Rose is simply not a good defender at this point in his career, but straight line drives are unacceptable. Watch as Rose never gets into a defensive stance, and Dennis Schroder blows by him.
Here's a similar play with Dwyane Wade failing to engage himself mentally at the start of a possession. Schroder crosses over to the left side this time, leaving Wade in the dust as Jeff Green offers nothing but a lazy swipe at the ball.
These isolation scores come from a lack of on-ball intensity and off-ball awareness. In some cases, help defenders have their backs turned to the entire play with no recognition of a driver behind them.
This isn't Stephen Curry in the NBA Finals. It's Schroder dropping 28 points (9-of-13 shooting) with nine assists on your head at your home arena.
Terrible in transition
Cleveland is giving up 1.14 points per possession in transition, but what's really alarming is how it's happening. Not to disrespect Isaiah Taylor, but hey Cavs, look what Isaiah Taylor just did to you in 4.5 seconds!
This isn't only on Kyle Korver, who (for some reason) decided the best option here was to turn his back completely toward the sideline and point Taylor toward the basket. Green isn't guarding anyone. Wade isn't guarding anyone. Hawks players are still behind the ball and pose no threat. Taylor sprints 94 feet for an easy bucket. It's just one bucket, though, right? The Cavs lost by two points.
Turning and running back is a start, but this is a situation where players need to step up and communicate. "I've got ball. Jeff, see help!" Little things go a long way.
James isn't exactly innocent on these types of changes in possession, either.
As incredible as James has been through 10 games (28.8 points, 9.1 assists, 7.4 rebounds per game on over 60 percent shooting), it's fair to wonder how much his laissez-faire attitude toward the regular season permeates the rest of the locker room. James has shown he is capable of the "flip the switch" routine to a degree, but what about his teammates? Is there even a switch to flip?
The 3-point problem
The Cavs know better than any team the importance of shooting in an NBA world where players toss 3-pointers at the basket like candy at trick-or-treat bags on Halloween night. Cleveland is allowing 25.0 spot-up points per game on 45.2 percent shooting, the highest mark in the league. It only gets uglier when breaking down opponent shooting by area...
— Left corner 3-pointer: 51.4 percent (highest in the NBA), 1.9 makes on 3.7 attempts per game
— Right corner 3-pointer: 50.0 percent (second-highest in the NBA), 1.8 makes on 3.6 attempts per game
— Above the break 3-pointer: 40.0 percent (fourth-highest in the NBA), 9.6 makes on 24.0 attempts per game
— Overall 3-point shooting: 42.4 percent (highest in the NBA), 13.4 makes on 31.6 attempts per game
The problems in isolation, transition and potential switching situations destroy the integrity of the Cavs' defense, creating open looks all over the floor for opponents.
Even when the Cavs do help and recover, they often close on shooters completely out of control, floating by and giving players ample time to reset or drive and kick again.
The Warriors ought to be foaming at the mouth watching this team flail at shooters.
Age, effort and fundamentals
The Cavs are the only team in the NBA to possess a roster with an average age over 30. They have guys like Rose, Wade and Korver trying to keep up with young, athletic guards, and frontcourt players like Green, Kevin Love and Channing Frye aren't helping. James likes having veterans by his side, but that comes at a cost. Even Tristan Thompson wasn't making a huge impact before he went down with an injury, as the Cavs' defensive rating with him on the floor (111.5) vs. off the floor (111.7) is nearly identical. And guess what? As incredible as Isaiah Thomas' offensive performance was last season, he's not fixing this part.
These are names not associated with defensive prowess, and the effort isn't there to at least push it to a net neutral. Retreating quickly in transition, sitting down in a stance, communicating on switches and rotating to help when necessary becomes much easier when the group of five on the floor actually cares. If not, that's when you see losses to the Nets, Knicks and Hawks pile up.
Still, this isn't only an effort question. The Cavs are developing bad habits in terms of rotations and positioning. Those elements become more crucial when you don't have the length and speed of a team like the Thunder or the luxury of funneling drivers toward an elite rim protector like the Jazz. It must be a collective effort with players moving on a string.
Maybe all of this will look silly in a few months. The Cavs might make everyone look stupid again as they walk through the East on the way to another NBA Finals series with the Warriors. But Cleveland needs to do something — anything — to prove this is a temporary issue, not a real cause for concern.
