Cleveland Cavaliers
2021-22What were the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021-22, and what needed front-office attention?
CLE 2021-22: the clearest roster problems were Creation, Passing connectivity, Defensive event creation. The strongest covered areas were Rim protection, Interior finishing. The main rotation-player dependency cases were Lauri Markkanen, Jarrett Allen, Ricky Rubio. Structural basketball need, injuries, replacement lineups, and financial constraints are reported separately.
What can be trusted
Supported strengths — production, who carries it, and what money is already committed.Full reading
CLE 2021-22 Rim protection: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 86.4 league percentile. Evan Mobley supplied 37.1% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. Absences created a shortage in 9 of the final 10 covered games. The team already committed substantial or redundant cap resources here.
Full reading
CLE 2021-22 Interior finishing: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 81.8 league percentile. Jarrett Allen supplied 23.0% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. Absences created a shortage in 9 of the final 10 covered games. The team already committed substantial or redundant cap resources here.
What needs attention
The clearest roster problems the evidence supports.Full reading
CLE 2021-22 Creation: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 0.0 league percentile. Darius Garland supplied 46.9% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. Absences made the problem worse in 5 of the final 10 covered games. The cap allocation to this critical need was comparatively low.
Full reading
CLE 2021-22 Passing connectivity: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 4.5 league percentile. Darius Garland supplied 43.1% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. Absences made the problem worse in 5 of the final 10 covered games. The cap allocation to this critical need was comparatively low.
Full reading
CLE 2021-22 Defensive event creation: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 18.2 league percentile. Darius Garland supplied 24.3% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. Absences made the problem worse in 9 of the final 10 covered games. The cap allocation to this critical need was comparatively low.
Every covered basketball function (11)
| Function | Reading | League percentile | Largest contributor | Recent availability | Salary commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation | SupportedCritical team problem | 0th percentile | Darius Garland · 46.9% | Absences repeatedly worsened an existing problem | Comparatively little salary committed to a critical need |
| Defensive event creation | SupportedCritical team problem | 18th percentile | Darius Garland · 24.3% | Absences repeatedly worsened an existing problem | Comparatively little salary committed to a critical need |
| Interior finishing | SupportedTeam strength | 82nd percentile | Jarrett Allen · 23.0% | Absences repeatedly created a problem | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Passing connectivity | SupportedCritical team problem | 5th percentile | Darius Garland · 43.1% | Absences repeatedly worsened an existing problem | Comparatively little salary committed to a critical need |
| Point-of-attack defense proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Darius Garland | Recent availability conclusion withheld | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rebounding | SupportedMiddle of the league | 55th percentile | Jarrett Allen · 31.3% | Absences repeatedly created a problem | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Rim pressure | SupportedMiddle of the league | 36th percentile | Evan Mobley · 27.4% | Absences repeatedly worsened an existing problem | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Rim protection | SupportedTeam strength | 86th percentile | Evan Mobley · 37.1% | Absences repeatedly created a problem | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Screening | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Jarrett Allen | Recent availability conclusion withheld | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Shooting and spacing | SupportedStructural team problem | 23rd percentile | Darius Garland · 28.7% | Absences repeatedly worsened an existing problem | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Switch coverage proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Darius Garland | Recent availability conclusion withheld | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
Who the team depends on
What disappears when a player is removed — and whether an observed replacement five exists.
CLE lineups performed 3.3 points per 100 possessions better with Lauri Markkanen than without him. The best supported alternative was [Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley] over 204 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Jarrett Allen · Darius Garland · Dean Wade · Isaac Okoro · Evan Mobley
shrunk net 6.817 over 204 possessions — small sample
on floor 3,489 possessions · off floor 3,699 possessions
CLE lineups performed 4.0 points per 100 possessions better with Jarrett Allen than without him. The best supported alternative was [Caris LeVert, Lauri Markkanen, Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley] over 165 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Caris LeVert · Lauri Markkanen · Darius Garland · Isaac Okoro · Evan Mobley
shrunk net 0.418 over 165 possessions — small sample
on floor 3,274 possessions · off floor 3,914 possessions
CLE lineups performed 6.2 points per 100 possessions better with Ricky Rubio than without him. The best supported alternative was [Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley] over 204 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Jarrett Allen · Darius Garland · Dean Wade · Isaac Okoro · Evan Mobley
shrunk net 6.817 over 204 possessions — small sample
on floor 1,765 possessions · off floor 5,423 possessions
Function loss, lineup performance, and replacement-lineup evidence remain separate; none is causal player value.
What injuries change
Recent absences and the basketball needs they created or worsened.Absences repeatedly worsened an existing problem
worsened in 9 of the final 10 covered games — mainly Evan Mobley
Absences repeatedly created a problem
created in 9 of the final 10 covered games — mainly Jarrett Allen
Absences repeatedly created a problem
created in 9 of the final 10 covered games — mainly Jarrett Allen
Absences repeatedly worsened an existing problem
worsened in 9 of the final 10 covered games — mainly Evan Mobley
Absences repeatedly created a problem
created in 9 of the final 10 covered games — mainly Evan Mobley
Absences repeatedly worsened an existing problem
worsened in 9 of the final 10 covered games — mainly Dean Wade
Absences repeatedly worsened an existing problem
worsened in 5 of the final 10 covered games — mainly Evan Mobley
Absences repeatedly worsened an existing problem
worsened in 5 of the final 10 covered games — mainly Evan Mobley
Where money is tied up
Cap position and salary allocation — shown beside the basketball picture, never blended into it.Most salary is mapped to interior finishing; the highest-need area is creation. Salary-to-function mapping covers 84% of charges.
Exact figures
Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence.
What the evidence cannot answer
Deliberate abstentions — where the database refuses a conclusion rather than guessing.- Point-of-attack defense proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Screening: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Switch coverage proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
Exact transaction legality: Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence
Team-season situation report. Structural basketball quality, recent availability, player dependence, replacement lineups, and financial position remain separate. No acquisition recommendation, transaction grade, coaching grade, outcome claim, or causal value is inferred.