Cavs will be banking on Lonzo Ball to help fix playoff problems

The Cavaliers had one of the best seasons in franchise history last year — until they didn’t. A second-round loss to the Pacers in five games ended the ride, and it ended fast.

Tyrese Haliburton’s dagger over Ty Jerome in Game 2 felt like the season’s turning point. From there, Indiana’s backcourt of Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard shredded Cleveland, combining for 31.6 points and 14.2 assists per game.

The Cavs, meanwhile, sputtered, averaging just 20.6 assists in the series after posting 28.1 per game during the regular season.

As Robert Watson III of SI.com noted, that collapse forced change. Jerome, despite a career year, struggled in the playoffs. Darius Garland was banged up and later had toe surgery. And the Cavs decided it was time to swap Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball.

Ball checks a couple of important boxes. He’s a proven defender — his metrics rank better than 86% of the league — and a playmaker, landing above 94% in teamwork ratings, as Watson wrote.

In other words, the Cavs finally added a bigger guard who can take pressure off Donovan Mitchell and Garland while holding his own against star playmakers like Haliburton or Cade Cunningham.

The question, of course, is health. Ball has played more than 60 games just once in his career and missed two full seasons with injuries.

But if he’s on the floor, his defense and decision-making could be exactly what Cleveland needs to finally get past Round 2.

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