The Cleveland Cavaliers have fallen hard in the NBA’s latest power rankings, and the reason is simple: they can’t stay healthy. Cleveland is 12-9 after the first quarter of the season, but the inconsistent lineup has stalled any real momentum.
NBA.com’s John Schuhmann dropped the Cavs five spots to No. 15. He noted, “The Cavs can’t get or stay healthy, and they’ve lost three straight games, slipping out of the top six in the Eastern Conference.”
A tough schedule creates extra pressure
Cleveland’s problems go beyond injuries. The team has also faced a demanding series of matches. Schuhmann pointed out that Sunday’s loss to Boston opened the second series of five games in seven days. The Cavaliers will have a halftime deficit against Indiana and again against Golden State later in the week.
The combination of fatigue and missing players has made it difficult for the team to maintain the rhythm. Opponents have taken advantage of that instability.
Center rotation hit hard by injuries
The biggest setback came in the frontcourt. The Cavaliers have endured major issues in the center, which has created a clear weakness for opponents to attack.
Schuhmann highlighted the situation, writing, “Jarrett Allen returned for one game (the Cavs’ fourth with all four of their core players) but is out again as he deals with a finger injury suffered in October. Larry Nance Jr. is also out and Thomas Bryant is barely playing, so it’s up to Evan Mobley to protect the paint.”
The numbers reflect the problem. Cleveland has posted the seventh-largest jump in the league in opponents’ paint attempts. In the current three matches, the opponents have shot 69%, shooting 77 out of 112.
Mobley had a strong performance against Boston with 27 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. Still, the Cavs have struggled offensively playing without Donovan Mitchell. Schuhmann noted that Cleveland has produced just 108.0 points per 100 possessions in those minutes. Mobley’s usage is up only slightly from last season, and his true shooting percentage has dropped from 63.3% to 58.0%.
Cleveland appears to be stabilizing at home
Despite the setbacks, the Cavaliers have time to recover. The season is long and their current deficit in the standings is manageable. They head home for a three-game stretch against Portland, San Antonio and Golden State after beating Indiana on Monday.
If Cleveland can finally get healthy, their rankings could rise as quickly as they fell.
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