The Cleveland Cavaliers have yet to establish themselves as a danger from the perimeter. In fact, the Cavs have been hesitant to shoot the three-ball, period.
Cleveland ranks dead-last in the NBA in both three-pointers attempted and three-pointers made. The Cavs are also 20th in three-point percentage.
J.B. Bickerstaff’s team hardly even hunted perimeter jumpers Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Cavs took just 10 threes, not making their first triple until the third period. Bickerstaff said the team needs to involve catch-and-shoot guys:
“We gotta create open looks for our guys who are capable as shooters,” Bickerstaff said, via Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “We have some guys who are better than others at breaking their man down. And their responsibility when they break their man down is to make the play for their teammates who are better catch-and-shoot guys. So we’ve gotta be working in unison on the offensive end of the floor to help one another.”
Bickerstaff went on to say the Cavs are filling space, but need more consistent penetration in order to create open looks in the corners and on the wings.
Part of the issue might be the fact Cleveland’s backcourt of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton are the best shot-creators, but also the team’s best three-point shooters. Cleveland could use a secondary ball-handler who can exploit one-on-one matchups and initiate drive-and-kick actions.
For his part, Sexton said he needs to do a better job of seeking open teammates:
“I have to do a better job of just making sure that I can find it for my teammates,” Sexton said, via Russo. “With so much crowd in there, maybe get off it a little earlier, so I can get my teammate a wide-open one to get him going. I’m definitely watching this game to see where I could’ve did better at that and where I could have found teammates for open 3s or even found some for me.”
The eventual returns of Larry Nance Jr. and Kevin Love should help matters. For now, however, the Cavs need to manifest more perimeter shots.