The Cleveland Cavaliers built their team identity on their defensive approach last season, leaning on a three-big lineup and a gritty mindset embodied up and down the roster.
That roster looks a little different — with the addition of Donovan Mitchell and the departure of Lauri Markkanen — as they prepare for a new season, but the Cavs’ attitude toward defense hasn’t changed.
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That’s why they prioritized it as they kicked off the first day of training camp Tuesday and began to lay the foundation for another strong defensive team. Mitchell is on board, vowing to change the conversation around his questionable defensive work.
By the end of camp, coach J.B. Bickerstaff wants his guys to have an understanding of what they can live with on the defensive end, and how they get opposing teams into certain shots or actions.
“Where your spots are on the floor, the technique on your closeouts, how do you take away 3-point shots, like all those small things, guys have to be really, really clear on because sometimes you’re gonna make a mistake, but you know that you’re trying to take this away,” Bickerstaff said. “So in my recovery, I just have to go get that done no matter what. And then the defense behind me can fix it. So as long as they’ve got a clear picture of what we’re trying to force and what we’re willing to give up, that helps guys figure out what we’re doing.”
The Cavs aim to protect the rim and the paint and limit the easy 3s. Guys like Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Robin Lopez can use their size and length to help achieve this goal. Bickerstaff recently told The Athletic he has “two of the best defensive bigs in our league,” referring to Allen and Mobley. Allowing their bigs to do their job down low then opens up opportunities for others to defend the perimeter.
While the Cavs have the size and length in their frontcourt, there are questions surrounding their backcourt, particularly in newcomer Mitchell. Last season, the Jazz gave up 105.2 points per 100 possessions with Mitchell on the bench and 111.7 points with him on the floor, per NBA Stats. He struggled in the playoffs to defend well, as the Jazz gave up 115.3 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, versus 104.5 points with Mitchell on the bench over six games in their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks.
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Mitchell was also rated a bottom-20 defender in the NBA by FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR. He had a defensive RAPTOR of -2.7, which means the Jazz’ defensive performance fell by 2.7 points per 100 possessions while Mitchell was on the court.
“It’s not the ability,” Mitchell said on Tuesday. “I can play defense. I know that for a fact. I haven’t shown that and that is what I’m looking forward to doing here.”
Mitchell said his growth on the defensive end of the floor can be traced to attention to detail and focus. He recognizes that in playing alongside guys like Darius Garland and Caris LeVert, he won’t have to do as much offensively as he did in Utah, which can allow him to lock in on possessions. With decreased offensive usage, Mitchell believes he won’t be as tired and can have the energy to compete on that end of the court.
Mitchell also knows he needed to be in better shape to play on both sides of the ball. The Athletic’s Tony Jones reported that Mitchell spent time training this summer in Miami, doing track work, distance sprints and more to help with his conditioning.
There’s still an adjustment for Mitchell, though, in learning how to adapt to Cleveland’s defensive language and style. He’s still figuring out what to say on defense around his new teammates, he said. While he was in Utah, his former coach Quin Snyder used different phrases, so he’s learning the terminology of the Cavs’ coaching staff.
“I’m supposed to say ‘Nail’ when I’m on the help with the nail. (Coach Greg Buckner) said, ‘What is it?’ I was playing live; I didn’t know what the hell I was saying,” Mitchell said as he laughed. “I was like, ‘Help. X. Something.’ I’m standing there, just trying to figure it out. That was one of the funniest moments because I was just saying something. That’s the biggest thing I tell people, ‘If you don’t know what to say, just scream.’ Just say something, that way you’re used to talking. That way when you figure it out it comes naturally.”
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Mitchell understands the level at which the Cavs played defensively last season. They had the fifth-best defensive rating in the league at 108.9 allowed per 100 possessions. Bickerstaff created the Junkyard Dog Chain, which was handed out on select nights to a player who showed significant defensive effort.
And Mitchell doesn’t plan to be the reason that the Cavs’ defense drops this season.
“We are here to go 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1,” Mitchell said. “Finding ways to do that. It starts with the little things – attention to detail, keeping my man in front, being there, making the extra effort to contest. That’s ultimately what my goal is here as one of the leaders on the team. Continue to put forth that effort on both ends.”
(Top Photo: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
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