Cleveland Cavaliers: Official midseason report cards

Cleveland Cavaliers</a> saw their season come to an abrupt end. It would be nearly 10 months before the Cavs would return to the floor &#8211; and uncertainty plagued them the whole way through.</p> <p>Before the 2020-21 NBA season began, the Cavaliers were paced in the bottom-three of most power rankings, with gigantic question marks surrounding their young core. Could Collin Sexton and Darius Garland coexist? Was Isaac Okoro the right pick in this year&#8217;s NBA Draft?</p> <p>Then, the Cavs rattled off three straight wins to begin the season and the hype started to build. This didn&#8217;t last long, however, as injuries and a grueling 10-game stretch against some of the league&#8217;s best players saw the team come crumbling down in disastrous fashion.</p> <p>Now, the team is steadily working to get themselves back in shape. Their first four-game win-streak since sweeping Toronto in the 2018 NBA Playoffs seems like a good place to start. But, what all has happened throughout the first half of the season? It&#8217;s time to reflect.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="NBA Trade Deadline: 3 teams who will be sellers" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/27/2021-nba-trade-deadline-3-teams-sellers/" data-call-to-action="Related Story" > <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/03/cleveland-cavaliers-report-cards/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/27/2021-nba-trade-deadline-3-teams-sellers/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span>&nbsp;NBA Trade Deadline: 3 teams who will be sellers </a> </div> </div> <h2>It&#8217;s time to look back at the first half of the 2020-21 NBA season and give out grades to each member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.</h2> <p>The Cavaliers sit at 14-21, already approaching their win total from each of the last two seasons. They&#8217;ve seen major improvements from each of their core players and the hope of battling for the play-in tournament is still alive as they sit just two games back from the nine-seed.</p> <p>For the sake of keeping things tight, we&#8217;ll only do deep dives for the core rotational players &#8211; with a speed round for the others who receive consistent bench minutes in reduced roles. The only players not included will be those who are no longer on the roster (Dante Exum, Yogi Ferrell, Marquese Bolden, and Thon Maker).</p> <p>We&#8217;ll also gloss over Andre Drummond, who is likely to be traded before the deadline. Drummond was a highlight of the Cavaliers&#8217; early-season success and led the league in rebounding before trailing off into a string of uninspiring performances that led to him being relegated to the sideline.</p> <p>Anyways, let&#8217;s jump into it and start with the best performer of the season thus far: Collin Sexton.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/03/cleveland-cavaliers-report-cards/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Collin Sexton </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_422511" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-422511" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/03/cleveland-cavaliers-report-cards/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1298407645.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1298407645.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1298407645-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Collin Sexton’s midseason Grade: A</h2> <p>No other player on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ roster, or perhaps the entire league, has made more notable leaps in their development than <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/03/cleveland-cavaliers-report-cards/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sextoco01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Collin Sexton</a>. Transforming from an ‘inefficient’ scorer with a historically bad assist-to-turnover ratio, Sexton has reversed the narrative and taken big steps towards becoming a star.</p> <p>His scoring is the first thing that stands out. Sexton is averaging a career-high 23.1 points on the best shooting splits of his career. His straight-line speed is leaving opponents in the dust as the muscle he added during the offseason is allowing him to finish over taller players, something he struggled with in the past.</p> <p>Sexton is making defenses pay for sagging off him by consistently drilling pull-up mid-range shots and floaters. Though there has been a conscious effort to limit these shots in favor of 3-pointers, there’s no denying Sexton is mastering the lost art of the mid-range.</p> <p>One area he has improved the most is playmaking. Sexton is dishing a career-best 4.1 assists and is playing with more focus. His assist-to-turnover ratio has jumped from 1.22 to 1.54, a significant increase that marks his growth as a playmaker.</p> <p>Some issues still plague Sexton’s game. He is prone to tunnel-vision plays that lead to ill-advised shots and turnovers. And, he and Darius Garland are both towards the bottom of the league as a defensive backcourt for the second year in a row.</p> <p>Yet, Sexton plays with as much energy as anyone in the NBA. He leaves it all out on the court every night and frequently stays after the game to work out. Cleveland can’t ask for much more out of the 22-year-old guard and it’s becoming clear that Sexton is the future of Cavs’ basketball.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/03/cleveland-cavaliers-report-cards/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Larry Nance Jr. </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_422512" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-422512" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/03/cleveland-cavaliers-report-cards/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1298404899.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1298404899.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1298404899-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Larry Nance’s midseason grade: A-</h2> <p>The potential for Larry Nance Jr. to explode as a versatile playmaking/defensive hybrid has always been there. It just wasn’t until this season that the young forward finally cracked the code and became the heart and soul of Cleveland’s attack.</p> <p>I can’t stress enough how impactful Nance has been for the Cavaliers this season. Whether it’s leading the team in deflections and steals or acting as the only player above 6’2″ that can handle the ball and find open teammates – Nance is a crucial piece of the puzzle.</p> <p>Unsurprisingly, Nance is averaging a career-high 3.2 assists as his improved ball-handling and vision have made him a great passer in the frontcourt. He’s also hitting more 3-pointers than ever before on the best efficiency of his career.</p> <p>On the defense end, Nance’s athleticism and lanky frame have been a difference-maker. He has the agility to defend the perimeter and can tip passes with his never-ending wingspan. Though he isn’t a great shot blocker, Nance is fitting the Draymond Green mold of a modern frontcourt defender.</p> <p>Injuries have held Nance back from getting any consistency under his belt this season. He’s only played 19 games and was battling injury for a few of them. He is currently nurturing a fractured wrist but should be back during the second half of the season.</p> <p>His return to the floor will be gigantic for Cleveland. A majority of their most successful lineups feature Nance and it’s not a coincidence. He is the glue guy that brings it all together for the Cavaliers.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/03/cleveland-cavaliers-report-cards/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Darius Garland </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_422513" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-422513" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/03/cleveland-cavaliers-report-cards/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1300235977.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1300235977.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1300235977-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Darius Garland’s midseason grade: B-</h2> <p>Something that many NBA fans are quick to forget is just how long it can take for a young point guard to develop. This was the case for Darius Garland, who was thrown under the bus after a less-than-ideal rookie campaign for the Cleveland Cavaliers.</p> <p>There weren’t many paths to success for Garland in his first season. Not only was he joining a team who recently finished dead-last in their conference – but he was also slotted into the starting lineup next to another undersized guard on a team that already posted the worst Defensive Rating in league history the year prior.</p> <p>Learning how to coexist with Collin Sexton would be the make-or-break moment for Garland this season. Thus far, he has passed with flying colors, embracing the primary ball handler role and looking like a great fit (offensively speaking) next to Sexton.</p> <p>Garland looks fully recovered from the knee injury that hampered him all throughout last season, displaying the fluid shiftiness and speed that made him a lottery pick to begin with. He’s capable of getting to any spot on the floor and is showing great court vision with his ability to zip passes from the baseline to open shooters.</p> <p>The Cavaliers are at their best when DG is playing with confidence. His no-look dimes and alley-oop passes bring so much energy to the team and there is simply more enthusiasm on the floor when Garland is being the flashy shot-creator we saw in Vanderbilt.</p> <p>Garland played particularly strong down the stretch of this half of the season, averaging 17.6 points, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals in his last eight games. While we still need to see him take another step forward as a playmaker and bulk up a bit to become a better defender – the potential is certainly there for the 21-year-old.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/03/cleveland-cavaliers-report-cards/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Jarrett Allen </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_422514" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/03/03/cleveland-cavaliers-report-cards/"https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2018/08/15471298.jpeg"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span>&nbsp;NBA: 30 most unguardable moves in league history </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">