The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to redeem themselves after they saw their 64-win 2024-25 season come to an abrupt end at the hands of eventual 2025 NBA Finals runner-up Indiana Pacers. They seem to be leaning more into a defensive identity, as evidenced by their decision to bring Lonzo Ball in via a trade with the Chicago Bulls that cost them former fifth overall pick Isaac Okoro.
Ball, however, has endured a plethora of injury problems in the past. As good as he is on the defensive end, one has to remember that he did miss two full seasons due to knee issues, and even last season, when he made his triumphant return to the hardwood, he didn’t play more than 35 games (he started 14) and the most minutes he played in a single game last year was 34, which came in the last game of the season he suited up in, a 125-115 win for the Bulls in overtime against the Toronto Raptors on the 28th of February.
Simply put, the Cavs will have to manage Ball’s workload if they want to have him around for when the games matter the most. They surely took that into consideration when they traded for him. And it looks like Ball is expecting them to, as he said on media day (via Tim Bontemps of ESPN) that he “doesn’t expect” to play in both games of a back-to-back set early in the season.
Nonetheless, Ball is hopeful that as the season progresses, he will be healthy enough to play in both games of a back-to-back. Whether that is the best idea, no one can be sure of quite yet. But considering the Cavs’ ambitions, do not be surprised if they err on the side of caution for the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign.
Cavs hope Lonzo Ball is the defensive answer for their playoff run
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It became glaring during last year’s postseason run that the Cavs’ guard defense can become detrimental to their hopes of winning a title. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland try their best, but playing two small guards alongside one another can be a recipe for disaster and can make things difficult even for a stout defensive frontline consisting of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Cleveland is hoping that Ball can help provide the solution to their defensive problems in a postseason context. But Ball has to be healthy, first and foremost, for that to happen.
