The Cleveland Cavaliers made a bold move this past offseason, sending Isaac Okoro to Chicago in exchange for Lonzo Ball-a trade that, at the time, looked like a savvy upgrade at the backup point guard spot. But fast forward to mid-December, and things haven’t exactly gone according to plan. Ball’s return to the court has been rocky, to say the least, and now there are real questions about whether head coach Kenny Atkinson might need to make a change in the rotation.
Let’s start with the numbers. Ball is shooting just 29% from the field and 26% from three-point range.
For a player who’s built a career on smart decision-making and efficient offense, those splits are tough to look at. He’s still dishing out nearly five assists per night and playing his usual brand of active, switchable defense-but when your backup point guard is that cold from the floor, it puts a real strain on the second unit’s ability to generate consistent offense.
The Cavs, as a team, are feeling that strain. At 15-12 heading into the holiday stretch, Cleveland has underwhelmed.
This was a group expected to push into the top tier of the Eastern Conference, but instead, they’ve been stuck in neutral. The low point?
A recent home loss to the Hornets where the Cavs failed to score a single point in overtime. That’s not just a bad night-it’s a red flag.
Add in other head-scratching losses to depleted teams like the Warriors, and it’s clear that something’s off.
Donovan Mitchell, to his credit, has done everything you could ask of a star player. He’s averaging over 30 points per game and carrying the offensive load night in and night out.
But outside of Mitchell, the supporting cast hasn’t held up its end. Whether it’s regression, inconsistency, or just poor chemistry, the rest of the roster hasn’t clicked the way the front office hoped it would when they brought in Ball to stabilize the backcourt.
Now, with a matchup against the Bulls looming on Wednesday night, Ball has a chance to face his former team and maybe spark a turnaround. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m.
ET at the United Center, and you can bet there’ll be some extra motivation on Ball’s side. But for Cleveland, this game is about more than just revenge-it’s about finding answers before the season starts to slip away.