Cavs rank dead last in pace in 2022-23, as they aim to slow it down
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers aren’t trying to fly by in the fast line. They’re OK just cruising down the road, not in any rush at all.
The Cavs are the slowest-paced team in the league this season. Their pace factor (average number of possessions per game) is 96.3, dead last in the NBA. That’s just how they like it.
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Much of it comes from roster construction. Although Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are the team’s clear-cut leading scorers, scoring a combined 50.1 points per game entering Friday night, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in large part represent the team’s strategic backbone in the paint.
Defensively, Mobley (1.9, first) and Allen (1.4, sixth) are both in the top six in the NBA in Defensive Win Shares. They’re also both in the top three in Defensive Rating (Allen is first with 104.4, Mobley third with 105.1). They’ve been the best at-the-rim defensive pair in the league, two pillars in the paint who have made opposing offenses think twice about trying to take it inside.
But in order to maximize that advantage, the Cavs need to slow down the game’s pace whenever possible and allow them to set up inside.
The same goes the offensive end. Although much of it goes through Mitchell and Garland, Mobley and Allen have securely represented the third and fourth options, with each averaging at least 14 points. They also play crucial roles in the Cavs’ pick-n-roll game and are above-average passers for big men.
On both ends of the floor, if the Cavs can slow the game to a crawl, they stand to benefit. When asked what kind of pace the Cavs are looking for, coach J.B. Bickerstaff laughed and said, “Extremely slow.”
“It’s about our team and where our strengths lie,” Bickerstaff said. “If you allow our big guys to participate in the defense, it’s going to be difficult to score. Same thing on the offensive end of the floor. You allow our big guys to get in, be part of the action and dominate the painted area, it gives us opportunities.”
Allen and Mobley being more involved offensively also allows Mitchell and Garland to operate more freely, as it forces teams to make decisions about where to send reinforcements. It also goes for Caris LeVert, who was moved to the bench to better take advantage of his skillset, as he’s at his best with the ball in his hands.
“Then we also have guys that are really comfortable scoring in the halfcourt,” Bickerstaff said. “Darius can score in the halfcourt, Donovan, Caris as well. We’ve got other guys that are cutters and play off that. So, a lot of teams will struggle to play in the halfcourt because there is a set defense but we have guys who can take advantage of halfcourt defenses and it allows us to set our defense, which gives us a chance.”
It also opens up a more vertical element of the Cavs offense, allowing Mobley, especially, to become involved as a passer as well as a scorer.
“He’s always been a really good passer. I think what’s happening is the ball is finding him more and he’s getting more opportunities to get those decisions,” Bickerstaff said of Mobley. “The more you’re having Donovan and Darius on the floor, teams have decided that they want to take those guys out of the game. So now the ball is finding him in positions where he gets to be a playmaker.
“He’s always been a high-level player. I just think now the ball is in his hands now to make more decisions.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
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