With Damian Lillard finally being dealt out of Portland and into the East, the Blazers can finally start their rebuilding process. The Cavaliers however, well past their rebuilding phase, now have to deal with the fallout. Lillard, aside from moving to the Eastern conference, is now in Cleveland’s division with a prime Giannis. Here’s a look at what the Damian Lillard trade means for Cleveland.
Although 33 years old, Lillard is far from slowing down. Averaging a career high 32.2 points per game last season to go with over seven assists, Lillard still has a lot of quality basketball left to play.
For the foreseeable future, that play will be in Milwaukee. Playing alongside Giannis (31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in 2022-23) and Khris Middleton should greatly assists Lillard in his pursuit of an NBA Championship. The Bucks did have to send Jrue Holiday away in the trade though, weakening them on the defensive front. But the potential offensive output still puts them in the conversation for top contenders in the east, and they’re coming off a season in which they finished with fourth best defensive rating in the entire league (111.9). They can afford to ease on the defensive end in favor of a massive offensive upgrade. Besides Lillard is a competent defender, and any team with Antetokounmpo on the floor will be a defensive threat.
Luckily the Cavaliers may have just the tools necessary to beat such a team. Aside from having the best defense in the league last season (110.6) Cleveland also has the ability to score in large quantities. Last season Donovan Mitchell averaged 28.3 points per game and the team had five players average double digit points. Mitchell scored 30 or more points 31 times last season. Darius Garland has scored 30 or more points a total of 16 times, half of which came last season.
Interior scoring is already difficult against the Bucks, having to get around Antetokounmpo. Even with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, it’s still a very tough task. Allen, while being an elite shot blocker, isn’t on the same level physically as Giannis. Mobley, while having the defensive potential to eventually be up to the task, will need to gain both experience and strength if he wants to outplay the Greek Freak. With Holiday gone, the perimeter should be less fortified. Outside scoring could be the key to consistently beating this Milwaukee team.
Scoring from the outside is something this Cleveland squad is fortunately very skilled at. Last season Mitchell set a record with 245 threes made, and Garland added another 169 on top of that. The rest of the team hit 536 shots from deep, totaling 950 on the season. This may seem like a lot, but it places them at 19th in the league in three-pointers made. The Cavaliers added pieces that should help with this next season (Max Strus, Georges Niang and Ty Jerome) but this is still an area that the team will focus on if they want to overcome the Bucks.
With a young Cavaliers team on the rise and a bonafide Bucks squad with freshly injected life into their franchise now in the same division, highly competitive matchups are on the way.
Will this Cavaliers team be able to surpass the likes of Lillard and Antetokounmpo? Check back here to find out.
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