National Basketball Association

Why the Cleveland Cavaliers will have their best season yet

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 26, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0), forward LeBron James (23) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) pose during a photo session during media day at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Despite coming off a NBA title, we might not have seen the best of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are poised to defend their championship, and be even better..

What a difference a year and a title makes.

Twelve months ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers entered their training camp like a wounded lion limping on a broken leg.

A grueling playoff run had seen the team’s stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving fall by the wayside. Iman Shumpert would miss the start of the season with a broken wrist, and there was the annual Rich Paul tug of war with the Tristan Thompson contract dispute.

While LeBron James told the media that much-maligned forward Kevin Love would be the “focal point” of the Cavaliers offense, there were still severe doubts about his fit.

Then of course there was the case of David Blatt’s fit with his players.

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Looking back on last year’s training camp makes the Cavaliers’ 2016 title win even more unbelievable.

The Cavs were certainly able to form into the best version of themselves for the playoffs. But calling the regular season Cavs “patchy” is a gross understatement.

However, this season looks to be a significantly smoother ride for the Cavs.

Generally in these “Big Three” setups where multiple stars come together, it takes a little bit of time for all three stars to form a sense of familiarity and a gameplan with each other.

For the Cavaliers, this process proved to be even more difficult with the upheaval of David Blatt 41 games into his second season. Blatt’s dismissal meant that incoming coach Tyronn Lue had next to no time to put his own imprint on the Cavs.

Now, he will have that opportunity.

Lue having a full training camp to try and test different methods, with all of his horses bar J.R. Smith available, will be invaluable for both him as a coach and for his players.

The increased training camp time will allow not only the big three, but the entire roster to become familiar with more complex schemes on both sides of the ball.

That Lue has every member of his squad healthy and available, barring Smith, is a massive fillip for the Cavaliers’ regular season.

Not only are they healthy and present, several members of the team look to be in much better shape than in previous campaigns.

Jan 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) drives past Philadelphia 76ers guard Nik Stauskas (11) at Wells Fargo Center. The Cleveland Cavaliers won 95-85. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Iman Shumpert’s Improvement

Iman Shumpert, a man on whom a lot will depend on until Smith and the Cavaliers agree on a contract, comes into camp almost 15 pounds lighter than last season’s playing weight of 225lbs.

At 26, Shumpert is one of the few young wings that the Cavaliers have at their disposal. For the Cavs to be able to reach their peak, he must improve on last year’s showing.

While his team had success on the court, Shumpert’s production was noticeably down. He shot a career-low 29.5 percent from long-distance and an equally paltry 37.4 percent overall, also a career low.

“Worked on a lot of stuff, added stuff to my game, stopped searching for what I want to do and just take what the defense gives you,” Shumpert told Chris Fedor of cleveland.com on Friday following the Cavaliers’ practice.

For a team that is capped out for the foreseeable future and has no-real means to improve the roster, the Cavaliers are relying on the internal development of players like Shumpert to allow them to grow.

Oct 28, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) grabs a rebound against Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) during the first quarter of the game at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Love’s Impact

Kevin Love is another player who has come into training camp looking especially svelte.

The 6-foot-10 power forward has not physically bulked up, but he has played stronger so far and his physique has allowed him to once again bully down low like he did in Minnesota.

“He’s lost some weight, but he looks stronger. We want him to be Kevin, to rebound the ball, do the things he does well,” Coach Tyronn Lue told Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer.

Love’s improved physique was not lost on the players either, with LeBron James telling reporters that his teammate “looks unbelievable”.

While the championship run was beneficial for each and every player on the Cavaliers’ roster, it was especially important for Love to be a part of it.

Love’s role as an integral part of the Cavalier puzzle was on show for the world to see during the playoffs. The former UCLA product averaged 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 41.4 percent from long-distance in his first full playoff campaign.

The vital role that Love had in bringing Cleveland its first title in 52 years not only quietened the outside noise, but it has seemingly let Love himself know that he belongs.

Love’s growth and confidence was visible in his performance during Game 7 in last year’s Finals.

Throughout the season, many experts claimed that Love simply could not be on the floor for extended periods against the Golden State Warriors.

The experts seemed to be correct as Love struggled to replicate his play during the earlier rounds of the playoffs in the first six games of the Finals.

However, in the biggest game of his life, Love showed up big time, pulling down 14 rebounds to go along with nine points in Game 7. Love’s plus/minus of +19 was the highest of any player on the Cavaliers.

Love’s Game 7 performance has also provided tangible off-court benefits for his mentality.

When asked about the speculation about his future, Love’s answer was a stark contrast to his previous press scrums as a Cavalier.

“They’ll never be gone, that’s just something that you deal with. So much hype and media and the good and the bad surrounding this team, it just comes with the territory. I love this team, love the coaching staff, team mates, the whole organization. I mean, I don’t think [the speculation] will ever leave but frankly I don’t really give a s**t.”

December 25, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the fourth quarter in a NBA basketball game on Christmas against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 89-83. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Kyrie Irving Stepping Up

Both Love and Irving appear to have gained LeBron James‘ trust through their play during last year’s playoffs which only bodes well for the Cavaliers.

Speaking of Irving, with James set to play reduced minutes in the regular season, the 24-year-old guard will be asked to shoulder more responsibility than ever.

During last year’s playoff run, Irving showed that he is more than able to carry the load.

However, it was in the Finals where his star quality shone the brightest.

Irving not only matched up, but outplayed the two-time MVP Stephen Curry as he averaged 27.1 points during the NBA Finals.

For a player who has elevated his game at every big stage he has ever played on, Irving is more than ready to lead the Cavaliers forward.

Irving showed in the Finals that when healthy, there is simply no way to stop him. Klay Thompson, a superb perimeter defender, was powerless as Irving used his dribble to shake Thompson and rise up for jumpers. When Thompson closed up on Irving, the 6-foot-3 guard would snake his way around screens and finish at the rim.

In many ways, Irving is the perfect scoring guard. He is often criticized for being selfish and for trying to do much. However, that is simply a by-product of playing with players whom he could not trust on the court during his NBA infancy.

Winning a title will have allowed Irving to realize that winning basketball is not just filling up a scoresheet and he will be able to further develop his game as a result.

Nov 13, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Chicago Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy (34) dribbles the ball past Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) during the first quarter at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

Built For Success

The Cavaliers may have taken their time, but as they begin their third season together, the team finally has a sense of continuity.

This version of the Big Three has often been compared to LeBron’s previous Big Three in Miami. Interestingly both teams lost the NBA Finals in six games in their first season before overcoming adversity to win a title in their second season.

While the Heat broke through in 2012, they really began to hum as a unit during the 2012-13 season, winning a franchise-record 66 games.

Miami was able to wreak havoc offensively by utilizing James’ exquisite skillset as a playmaking-four and the Cavaliers are likely to take a leaf out of the Heat’s book.

Additionally, the underrated acquisition of Mike Dunleavy Jr., another master-stroke by GM David Griffin, gives James yet another sniper to rifle the ball to on the wing.

The departure of the feisty Australian Matthew Dellavedova has left the Cavs’ back-up point guard position looking bare.

However, the Cavs have the ultimate cheat code in LeBron James.

James’ ability to play as the primary ball-handler may see Lue stagger his minutes. This will allow James to play more minutes the bench while Irving sits.

During the playoffs, a five-man unit of Dellavedova, Shumpert, Richard Jefferson, James and Channing Frye was the most common bench lineup for Tyronn Lue.

Per nbawowy, this five-man lineup played 72 minutes together during the playoffs and shot a scorching 56.3 percent from the field with an offensive rating of 115.9.