The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking ahead to their second straight game versus the Boston Celtics after an 0-2 start to their four-game road trip. The Cavs dropped a tough one versus the Orlando Magic, despite 32 points from Darius Garland. They followed that up with a 120-113 loss to Boston.
Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are doing their part for the struggling Cavs. The backcourt duo has accounted for 52% of the team’s 74 made-shot attempts in those two games.
Cleveland has struggled to find their identity offensively in a tough start to the season. The 13-11 Cavs have looked to find consistency from a tertiary scorer but haven’t been able to find consistent scoring outside of Garland and Mitchell.
Evan Mobley is the team’s third-leading scorer, averaging 16 points per contest, but has missed the team’s last two games. Max Strus is the next man up offensively but has found his share of struggles over the last two contests, shooting just 29% on only seven converted shot attempts.
Teams allow Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell to get theirs but neutralize the duo’s support, keying on Strus, Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen. Getting Evan Mobley back in the lineup will help the Cavs but the struggles still exist within their 13-11 record.
Cleveland is expected to be without Mobley yet again for Thursday’s matchup versus the Celtics. The Cavaliers will have to get one of their other options going offensively. Strus, LeVert and Allen will look to fill the void that Mobley will leave in his absence.
The Cavs will need to establish a consistent scoring output from a third source behind Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. With teams keying in on the All-Star guard pairing, finding the guy behind those two in either Strus or Mobley will pay dividends.
