Why Cavs must hire James Borrego after firing J.B. Bickerstaff

While Borrego’s head coaching record of 148-183 doesn’t seem like a starting point for a possible playoff contender, there is context behind it. The talent Borrego had in Charlotte, who was young and rebuilding, prevented him from meaningfully contending for a postseason berth. Regardless, his teams outperformed expectations by emphasizing three-point shooting and ball movement while remaining committed to playing hard on defense.

In his final season with the Hornets, Borrego had commanded Charlotte to one of the best offenses in the league, which is remarkable when a 33-year-old Ish Smith and eventually a 10-day signee Isaiah Thomas ran point. Although that still wasn’t enough to keep his job with the Hornets, that offensive acumen only further emboldened things for Borrego when he joined the Pelicans as their associate head coach. Which further drove home his legitimacy as a possible head coaching candidate.

While injuries certainly played a major part, the Pelicans finished 20th in offensive rating last season and were second to last in three-pointers attempted per game before Borrego arrived. After Borrego took over offensive responsibilities, New Orleans vaulted to 11th in offensive rating. Although the Pelicans only took the 24th-most three-pointers in the NBA under Borrego, they were still one of the most efficient – owning the fourth-best three-point percentage in the league.

If Borrego were to become Cleveland’s next head coach, his offensive ideology would have a similar impact on the Cavs. In Bickerstaff’s final season as head coach, Cleveland finished 16th in offensive rating. And although they took the eighth-most three-pointers in the NBA, they were only fifteenth in the league in converting them.

With Borrego at the helm, the Cavs could become one of the more lethal offensive teams in the NBA next season, giving life to a team that’s too talented only to be average on offense.

To make that possible, Borrego could ultimately take an approach in Cleveland similar to the one he applied in New Orleans. For the Pelicans, Borrego built the offense around Zion Williamson’s unique skillset while still finding ways to let scoring threats like C.J. McCollum and Brandon Ingram shine.

Borrego could take the same approach as Evan Mobley while still finding ways to keep Donovan Mitchell as dominant as ever. If the Cavs traded for Ingram, then Borrego would feel even more at home. And more importantly, could help make Cleveland as lethal as their talent level on offense.