'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Cleveland Cavaliers had their third consecutive losing season despite a promising start to the 2020-21 NBA campaign. The Cavs got off to a 4-2 start early in the campaign, but a 14-22 record at the All-Star break was already showing that the team wasn't headed in the right direction.
Moreover, some decisions like not playing Andre Drummond and offloading his contract were definitely decisive in the team's struggles in the NBA season. Of course, Drummond was likely to leave in NBA Free Agency, but Cleveland still decided not to receive anything for him.
Three issues to fix for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2021 NBA off-season
The team eventually finished the season with 22 wins and 50 losses and ranked 13th out of 15 teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference.
For the upcoming campaign, there are many areas where the Cleveland Cavaliers need to improve. Moreover, they also need to make the right choices on certain topics to ensure that the team can at least have adequate talent in the future.
In this article, we will take a look at three needs for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2021 NBA off-season.
Without further ado, let us start.
#3 Surround Darius Garland with shooters
Darius Garland has shown good talent in his first two NBA seasons and he had a good 2020-21 campaign offensively. His 117 Defensive Rating was not great by any means, but his offense could continue to evolve if he is surrounded by good shooters.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA last year, ranking last in 3P percentage (33.6%), second-worst in three-pointers made per game (10) and were only 28th out of the 30 NBA teams in three-pointers attempted per game.
With Garland showing decent playmaking ability and averaging 6.1 assists per game in the 2020-21 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers should take advantage of that aspect of their game to surround him with solid three-point shooters.
Garland himself shot the ball well from deep as he averaged 17.4 points per game with a 45/39/84 shooting split, but his offense could definitely improve a lot with a better cast around.
#2 Pay the right price for Collin Sexton or move on
Collin Sexton also had a good year for the Cleveland Cavaliers on offense in the 2020-21 NBA campaign. He averaged a team-high 24.3 points per game, the highest average of his three-year career so far and his second consecutive year with at least 20 points per game throughout the whole season.
Just as in Garland's case, the defensive end was a concern in Sexton's game as he posted a dismal 118 Defensive Rating. Now, Sexton is eligible for a rookie scale extension in the 2021 NBA off-season, and the Cleveland Cavaliers might have their hands full of reasons not to overpay Sexton or even put him on the market if an agreement is not reached.
Sources have told The Athletic's Jason Lloyd that Sexton is available on the market and it might be an indication that negotiations for an extension are not going in the direction where Sexton remains with the Cavs in the long term.
Sexton averages 20 points, three rebounds and three assists per game (207 appearances) in his three-year NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has a career shooting split of 45/38/83 and a lot of teams would be willing to get him at the right price.
#1 The Cleveland Cavaliers need to bring Jarrett Allen back
The Cleveland Cavaliers bought Andre Drummond out of his contract after he played 25 games in the 2020-21 NBA season. Drummond was averaging 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds at the time the team held him off the court.
Of course, Jarrett Allen's arrival had an impact on Drummond's fate with the Cleveland Cavaliers, while him being in the final year of his contract was also unlikely to stay at Cleveland regardless.
Now, the Cavs need to sign Allen for the 2021 NBA off-season if their plan to make Allen the big man of the franchise's future is to be fulfilled in the upcoming seasons. Allen arrived from the Brooklyn Nets on January 13th after the Cavs entered a four-team trade that primarily sent James Harden from Houston to Brooklyn.
In 51 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Allen put up 13 points and 10 rebounds per game with 60% field-goal shooting. The fourth-year player is a restricted free agent now and the Cavs, who gave up a first-round pick for him, should provide a contract that cannot be ignored by the big man.
Throughout his career, Allen has averaged 10.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game (285 appearances) and also averages 1.4 blocks per game. Whether he is the right big man for the Cleveland Cavaliers' future or not is yet to be seen. However, given the moves made by Cleveland's executive Koby Altman (trading for Allen and letting Drummond go), the Cavs believe that Allen will be the right player for the future and now they need to keep him.
Of course, the Cavs could well take a solid big man in the 2021 NBA Draft if negotiations with Allen do not prosper. However, it would be a gamble to draft a center with the third pick of the draft (possibly Evan Mobley out of USC) and letting go a player that was not cheap on the trade market.
Guess the Lakers players!
