Feb 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Lonzo Ball (2) hits a three point shot against Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead (23) during overtime at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

How Lonzo Ball Could Transform the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Backcourt

Originally posted on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI
By Robert Watson III | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 4:13 PM ET

The Cavaliers' season came to an abrupt end last year after one of the most exciting and successful seasons in team history, where it seemed an Eastern Conference Finals or NBA Finals appearance was a near certainty. The Cavs found themselves in the same place as the previous season, losing in five games in the second round of the playoffs.

The loss to Indiana, led by playoff star Tyrese Haliburton—whose game-winner over Ty Jerome in Game 2 effectively ended the Cavs' storybook season—prompted change within the organization this offseason.

Jerome had a career season for the Cavs last year, but struggled mightily in the playoffs, seeing a drop-off in most metrics. The Cavs overall also struggled to stop Indiana’s backcourt duo of Haliburton and Nembhard. The duo averaged a combined 31.6 Points and 14.2 Assists per game in the series, while Cleveland’s offense at times looked stagnant as they averaged only 20.6 assists per game, a significant drop from their regular-season average of 28.1.

This, of course, omits the injury limitations of Darius Garland, who underwent surgery on his left big toe this offseason. The Cavaliers decided to make another change, acquiring veteran guard Lonzo Ball in a trade, sending out wing Isaac Okoro.

This move signifies a few things for the Cavaliers. Number one, Ball has been known mainly for two things so far in his NBA tenure: first, his defense. His Mixed Team Defense (MTD) rating, which measures both team and individual defensive impact, ranks higher than 86% of NBA players, meaning Ball is more effective at preventing opponents from scoring both as a team defender and in one-on-one situations than most of his peers.

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Ball is also noted for his playmaking and winning style. His teamwork metrics rank above 94%, and his assist rate is higher than 74% of NBA players.

Adding this piece of a taller ball-handler to the backcourt will also help Cleveland’s rotation when going up against players like Tyrese Haliburton and Cade Cunningham in the future, as well as continue to take the pressure off Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland to be the only main distributors for the Cavs.

The main caveat to this move is Ball’s health, as he has only played more than 60 games in his NBA career once and missed the entirety of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with injuries, but it is undeniable that if he can remain healthy, and stay on the court, Lonzo can bring some valuable perimeter defense and steady playmaking to the table in Cleveland.