The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a slow start to the season dropping six out of their first 10 games including five out of the last six games.
This has created a sense of some uncertainty around the team in terms of their championship aspirations. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, veteran guard J.R. Smith touched upon the team’s unstable mental state at this point of the season.
Although this is quite concerning, especially from a team that has reached three straight NBA Finals appearances, it is still quite early in the season. There is still plenty of time for the Cavaliers to fine tune their rotations and find out what works best for them on the court.
What should also be kept in mind is that All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas is still out of the lineup. Thomas’ return should change things up a bit by not only providing another proven scorer that could step in as the second scoring punch behind LeBron James but it also moves Derrick Rose to the bench where he could help them form quite a formidable scoring second unit.
If anything, these comments from Smith underline that there is clearly much adjustment needed from Cleveland in many regards beyond just the play on the court.