Video analysis: How should the Cavaliers improve their defensive performance in the new season?

The Cleveland Cavaliers deserve to be the number one favorite to win the championship in the new season. They had the best record in the East last season, and the overall strength of the East is expected to weaken as Teresa Halliburton and Jason Tatum determine to miss all (or at least most) of the game next season. The 64 wins of the 2024-25 season were thanks to the league's sharpest offensive system in recent years - their scores exceed the league's average of 7.3 points per 100 rounds, ranking third in the data gap in the past 15 years.

The Cavaliers were also excellent in defense last season (the points lost per 100 rounds are 1.9 points less than the league average), ranking eighth in 100 rounds, and even climbed to sixth when they were attacking the top ten teams in the league. But this is their worst defensive performance in the past four years.

Therefore, the team still has room for improvement on the defensive end, and there are sufficient reasons for improvement:

1. According to data from the past 29 seasons, 38% of the teams that ranked in the top five on both offense and defense (11 of 29 teams) finally entered the finals, which is far higher than the probability of only the top five on one end and the 6-10 teams at the other end (25%, 21 of 83 teams);

2. The Cavaliers cannot expect the offensive efficiency of the new season to be comparable to last season. Although Evan Mobley continues to improve, the team's effective shooting percentage reached 57.81% last season, only slightly lower than the NBA record (57.85%);

3. In the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Cavaliers' excellent but non-top defense could not limit the Pacers, and they averaged more than 120 points per 100 rounds in four losses.

That round of the series exposed multiple problems on the Cavaliers' defensive end. Backtracking analysis can point us to the direction of improvement in the new season.

1. The disconnection of defensive communication

The first round of the series indicates the fate of the Cavaliers. Although the Pacers did not score in this round: Mobley (previously switched defense in the cover) When switching to Miles Turner and Halliburton hand-handed, Jarrett Allen (versus Pascal Siakam) replaced Turner with the defense, but Max Struz still chased Haliburton, causing Siakam to be completely empty... The first round of the series exposed the defensive communication problem. Although he was lucky enough to lose points in this round, there continued to be chaos in the first quarter:

- Two rounds later, Siakam was released again, allowing the opponent to make a layup within 7 seconds after the Cavaliers scored;

- A few minutes later, Siakam scored another three-pointer through the same tactics;

- Two minutes later, the Cavaliers retreated and failed to find the right match, and Halliburton directly hit a three-pointer with open positions... Although the proportion of large open positions in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals (58%) is lower than the regular season (the highest in the league) and the first round (64%), if the Cavaliers switched defenses, they could have further reduced the data.

2. The switch to prevent defense caused internal and external loopholes

According to data, Allen and Mobley's changeover rate for screening and hand-handed hands reached 25% (20% in the regular season, 18% in the first round against the Heat). The Pacers' pass-cut system forces the Cavaliers to make more switches because the defender (Struth as mentioned earlier) is more difficult to follow the opponent.

After switching defense in the interior, the Cavaliers lost more points per round in the Eastern Conference semifinals than in the regular season and first round. The core problem is that Allen was severely restricted when switching to Halliburton... In the series, Halliburton scored 29 points (12 of 20 shots), more than twice his score against any Cavaliers defender.

Defense swaps will also cause inside misalignment, and the Pacers will make profits from low posts and frontcourt rebounds...

The Cavaliers' opponents in the regular season can score 0.92 points per game against Allen/Mobley, while the Eastern Conference semi-finals data rose to 1.16 points.

3. Single-defense crash

is not the only one who has difficulty limiting the ball holders. Halliburton and TJ McConnell have both refused to cover in the pick-and-roll and successfully passed the defense with the ball... According to data, the Cavaliers allow their opponents to use breakthroughs to pass the defense 13.3 times per 100 rounds in the regular season, the fifth highest in the league, and the data increased to 14.3 times in the playoffs.

The Cavaliers were still suffering from injuries in the Eastern Conference semi-finals: Darius Garland missed the first two games, and Mobley and DeAndre Hunter missed the second game. Despite their limited defensive ability in starting and backfield, they are still excellent defensive teams as a whole and are not the only team trapped in the playoffs.

With Struce (foot surgery) missing early in the season, Hunter may get a trial opportunity from the main outside defender. Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr. should improve defensive resilience when Allen or Mobley is out.

But the series against the Pacers also shows that the Cavaliers are in urgent need and are expected to achieve internal defensive evolution. The game video provides a large number of examples that can be improved.