J.B. Bickerstaff has to prove that he’s worth holding onto in 2023-2024

The Cleveland Cavaliers have to see more from J.B. Bickerstaff in 2023-2024.

I’ve defended J.B. Bickerstaff’s tenure in Cleveland maybe more than anyone. I like the man, I like his player development and I like his defense. His schemes are also solid, especially in 2021-2022, where he had Lauri Markkanen play small forward. It was a wild idea that worked. Then the trade for Donovan Mitchell happened. Many in the medium, myself included,  believed this would make the Cavs true contenders.

Instead, the Cavs’ offense was among the worst in the NBA. Too much focus on Mitchell and Darius Garland’s shooting when it didn’t make sense, and Evan Mobley not developing his outside shot, which we were told he had. Too much reliance on the iso and the pick and roll, and largely, just a lackluster showing.

Now, the team did play well during the regular season. Their half-court offense was slow and methodical but it paired well with their more high-energy defense. We thought it could work. Then the playoffs rolled around and the New York Knicks, the most mid-team of mid-teams, smacked the Cavs around.

Clearly, Bickerstaff’s offense did not work when it counted. This has me thinking the Cavs may need to make some tough decisions going forward.

Patience is great if the Cleveland Cavaliers had the time to be patient

Sports Illustrated wrote an interesting piece that argued for the Cavs to be patient. The Denver Nuggets were patient with their head coach, Mike Malone and it paid off in an NBA Championship. The problem with that is very obvious, but not really addressed; the Nuggets drafted their core and made few trades, which gave them time to build. The Cavs were on that path prior to the Mitchell trade. Then they traded away their young core for a guy with three years left on his contract.

And a desire to play in New York. The Cavs no longer have the ability to be patient. Bickerstaff’s defensive schemes and game plans are great. That can’t be argued. The Grit and Grind Era of the Cavs is here. The problem is, the Cavs’ offense to close out 2022 was more dynamic and unpredictable than the one that closed out in 2023. A lot of that is on Mitchell and Bickerstaff.

The Cavs don’t have the leeway to wait. If the Cavs can’t build a better offense early in the upcoming season, thinking of making changes, be it with the assistants or Bickerstaff himself, will need to happen.

And I’m not going to just say Bickerstaff’s offense was bad. He didn’t have a lot of reliable players, which is why I’m advocating for another season to see what he can do with some, hopefully, better players.

But if this team gets a wing, another shooter, and another big and they still can’t increase their offensive output, then it’ll be time to move on.

Unless they want to just trade Mitchell and semi-restart their contender window.

• Published on 06/17/2023 at 19:26 PM
• Last updated at 06/17/2023 at 19:26 PM