Caris LeVert is at home leading the Cavs' second unit off the bench
CLEVELAND — When your back's against the wall, the only way to respond: Be aggressive. Keep attacking. Go on the offensive.
That's the Cavaliers' mantra, at least the next few weeks.
The injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley quickly became the story of the Cavs' season, along with any impact they might have on Donovan Mitchell's situation.
As the Cavs navigate these uncharted waters, now without 40 percent of their starting lineup as they keep working toward a playoff spot, coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the team's coaching staff have relayed a number of messages.
One of them is that they don't want any player trying to just make up for the absences of Garland and Mobley, which is, in realty, an impossible task. They can't replace, only rework.
The other memo is to be the aggressor — whenever possible.
"We're asking all of our guys to be the most confident, most aggressive version of themselves with guys being out," said Bickerstaff before Wednesday's 140-101 win over the Washington Wizards.
Just keep pushing. Never stop applying pressure.
It's a style that happens to perfectly match Caris LeVert's skillset. Perhaps nobody on the Cavs roster embodies the type of aggression for which the Cavs are searching better than LeVert, who has reached a new gear as of late.
LeVert has put together 20-plus-point performances in three of his last four games, including a tie for his season high 31 Monday night in Toronto. That was followed up by a 21-point game in the blowout win over the Wizards.
"Caris is an attacker, and he makes it extremely difficult on defenses to contain him and keep him in front," Bickerstaff said.
It's a similar story as last season, when LeVert was shuffled in and out of the starting lineup while the Cavs searched for the best way to utilize him in the rotation. It was clear he was at his best when he could be the — as is the word of the day — aggressor with the ball in his hands. Often running with the second unit and without two key scorers in the rotation, LeVert can fire away.
Caris LeVert leading Cavs' second unit off the bench
In a way, LeVert has lately become a centerpiece of a second unit that also includes Sam Merrill, Georges Niang, Craig Porter Jr. and Tristan Thompson. Together, they've all helped to pick up the slack left behind by the decimated starting lineup.
With Garland and Mobley sidelined, the Cavs know they will often have to lean on Mitchell, especially with the game on the line. They'll need Max Strus to continue to make a massive impact on the starting lineup. They'll need Jarrett Allen to hold down the fort in the paint.
The second unit, meanwhile, was thrust into a position of handling a much larger share of the workload. Over the last season and a half, the Cavs have had plenty of games in which the starting lineup accounted for a much-too-large percentage of the team's total production. That won't be able to be the case anymore, at least not for the next several weeks.
"We want to be hard to guard," Bickerstaff said, referencing that second unit led by LeVert. "I think we've got guys in there who can really, really move. We've got guys who are capable of making shots, so we want people to feel like they're constantly chasing us. … That group is sort of a group by committee, but doing a great job of really, really playing well together."
That quintet off the bench has acted as the calvary. And LeVert is the general leading the way.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Caris LeVert is a key piece of Cavs offense with Garland, Mobley out
