The Land Before Time: Cavs Pre-Game Thoughts
November 19, 2025 vs Houston
How do you get into a rhythm? Whether it be in work, a sport, a hobby, or something else; what do you do that helps you get into a flow that helps maximize your performance? Perhaps it happens by listening to music. Or by doing a specific stretch or drill. A pregame ritual may even help. No matter what, getting into a rhythm can be hard, especially when it involves an entire team and not just an individual.
Getting into a rhythm is exactly what this Cavs team is attempting to do right now. Their start to the season has been marked by inconsistency in strategy and in performance. Certainly, injuries have exacerbated the inconsistencies. However, I tend to think that the injury line is an easy excuse to toss out that excuses much of the agency that the active players and coaches still have.
To sum it up: I believe the Cavs have lacked coherent and intentional strategy all season, especially on the offensive end. I acknowledge that a lot of this may be because Kenny and the coaches (sick band name) are still experimenting with line-ups and figuring out what works best. However, the longer that the team lacks intentionality, the harder it will be to summon it come playoff time.
The lack of intentionality has shown up in many ways. The beautiful ball movement possessions that captivated fans last year have been sporadic so far this season. The interior offense has been inconsistent at best even when the coaches call it out as a point of emphasis. The Cavs’ effective shooting percentage has fallen from top of the NBA last season to 16th this season. On The Block The Shot The Stop podcast, host Kevin Lynch noted that the Cavs are not attacking the basket off the drive as much as last season. At the end of last season, they ranked 6th in the NBA in drives to the basket, this year they are 27th. Needless to say, there is something out of sorts with the Cavs’ offense at the moment.
Some of this may be due to Kenny Atkinson’s coaching with the Constraints-Led Approach. This method creates practice scenarios with constraints to simulate situations for an athlete that replicates the unpredictable nature of a real game. This approach is gaining traction throughout the coaching world and has many benefits for creating athletes capable of being mentally flexible and making decisions in a variety of situations. One potential downside, though, is that too much of a lack of structure may lead to stagnation, while varying adoption rates in individual athletes may cause chemistry issues as they learn the system. Both of these limitations may apply to the Cavs right now. It will be imperative for Kenny Atkinson to push through these.
The Cavs may already be pushing through the offensive struggles already. They showed signs of life on the offensive end in their last five quarters. A strong fourth quarter against Memphis helped them overcome an 8-point deficit entering the last period. On Monday against Milwaukee, the Cavs continued to show signs of life, shooting 56% from the field and generating the first "Cavalanche" in Rocket Arena this season. Both of those teams had their star player get hurt during those games, however. Wednesday night’s matchup against the Houston Rockets will pose their toughest test yet, against a team that is playing well and showing they are a true championship contender. Can the Cavs continue their positive trend? If so, it may be an indicator of big things to come.
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