CLEVELAND — When Darius Garland and Evan Mobley were both announced to be out for several weeks , the Cavaliers knew they'd need to call in the cavalry. But it seems they actually called in the air force instead, as they've gone on an aerial assault ever since.
No Garland and no Mobley — the Cavs lost two crucial players in their starting lineup within a few hours of each other in mid-December — means the Cavs would have to search for some sort of a massive shift in their offensive philosophy. Simply trying to replace those two wasn't exactly a viable option.
The Cavs attacked that problem in two ways. The first is how they're, well, attacking on offense, as coach J.B. Bickerstaff has challenged the roster to be the most "aggressive versions" of themselves .
The second rests with the Cavs hoisting a flurry of 3s as of late in a near-constant barrage that represents one of the highest clips in the league.
Since Garland and Mobley went down, the Cavs have shot 43.1 3-pointers per game entering this weekend and including Friday's 114-90 win over the Washington Wizards . They've averaged 35.9 3-point attempts for the season, which includes the recent deluge.
The math for how all of this came about is pretty simple. The injuries led to more opportunities for quite a few players, and many of them — Sam Merrill , Dean Wade , Georges Niang — are shooters. There are some analytical indicators that point to more 3-point attempts being a positive thing anyway, and the Cavs dove in head first.
Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff half-jokingly said "As much as I hate to say it, it's come down to executing the analytics a little bit more." Bickerstaff clarified that he isn't for shooting 3s just for the sake of shooting 3s — they still need to be quality attempts. But the numbers don't lie.
"That's what you have to do when you're down [some] talented players," Bickerstaff said. "If you want to find an uptick, you have to find different ways and be more efficient. We're trying to jack as many 3s as we possibly can."
And it's working. In the nine games without Garland and Mobley, while attempting more than seven extra 3s per game, the Cavs have been averaging 120.4 points, up from their season-long average of 113.1.
The Cavs have leaned into a 3-point barrage so heavily that they've been as efficient as ever, at least on the offensive end of the floor. In reality, one could say it's more directly a focus on ball and player movement that leads to some better looks from 3-point range, and the indirect result is more attempts.
"It is a lot of movement, but it's just a conscientious effort to get to the paint first and then do whatever the right thing is next," Bickerstaff said. "And, again, when you have the spacing that's on the floor, you have the guys that are capable of making those shots. But, again, I want to stress this, that this is about the team and their willingness to do for one another and how they create, how they share, how they understand each other's strengths and weaknesses."
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The additional minutes available has led to a few breakouts, including the unlocking of Sam Merrill , who has become a regular off the bench in the Cavs rotation. Like Max Strus , Merrill has added not only a shooting threat, but additional movement in the offense that has led to some more open looks.
"We've been playing with more pace and spacing the floor, and having guys like [Merrill], you gotta do that," Strus said. "We have a really deep roster of guys that can shoot the ball, and we all have the confidence in each other to shoot every time we're open. … It's fun to play like that."
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It's worked well enough that there's necessarily no reason it'll change once Garland and eventually Mobley do return. The Cavs might not have to stray from this strategy just because they re-enter the lineup.
"Yeah, I don't see why not," Bickerstaff said. "I think obviously it may have a different look just because of the personnel and the package that you have on the floor, but the movement doesn't have to change. The passing doesn't have to change. Allowing everybody to participate in the offense doesn't have to change."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers shoot 3s at record pace with Darius Garland, Evan Mobley out
