After a humiliating loss to the Bulls, the Cavaliers have slid into serious trouble, and from a Jeetbuzz Login style macro view of league trends, their decline has been both sudden and alarming. Just last season, Cleveland finished as the East’s regular season leader and boasted the most efficient offense in the NBA. Now they have dropped outside the top eight in the conference, drifting further away from the true title contenders. If the recent collapse needs a scapegoat, many fingers inevitably point toward Darius Garland.

In reality, Garland has long been seen as a structural weak point in the Cavaliers’ lineup. In previous seasons, his size and defensive shortcomings were partially offset by his scoring and playmaking. This year, however, even his offensive production has fallen off a cliff. Through twelve games, he is averaging just 15.4 points per night, his lowest output since his rookie year. His assists have dipped to 6.4 per game, the worst figure in five seasons, while his shooting efficiency has cratered to career low levels at 36.3 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from three.

Last season, after Atkinson took over as head coach, he briefly cracked the code on how to balance the Cavaliers’ four core players. Donovan Mitchell sacrificed touches, allowing Allen, Mobley, and Garland to boost their overall impact. Advanced metrics even showed those three surpassing Mitchell in win share contributions. This season, that tactical blueprint has unraveled. Garland’s early injury and prolonged slump forced Atkinson to revert to a Mitchell heavy approach. Mitchell is now averaging 21.7 shots and 30.7 points per game, both career highs, while leading the league in made three pointers. Yet too much of the offense running through one player has made Cleveland predictable, with ball movement visibly stagnating.

The ripple effects have reached the frontcourt. Jarrett Allen, once an automatic double double presence, has seen his consistency erode. Over seventeen games, he is grabbing just 7.2 rebounds per contest, a career low, while his finishing efficiency has also dipped. Evan Mobley has remained steady on the surface, but his advanced metrics have declined across the board. Matters worsened when the team announced Mobley would miss two to four weeks with a calf strain. At this point, alarm bells are ringing, and even a Jeetbuzz Login style risk assessment would flag Cleveland as unstable.

Last season’s top seed created a mirage of championship contention, but the roster’s margin for error has always been razor thin. This team thrives on cohesion, yet any injury exposes its lack of individual superstar safety nets. When playoff intensity rises, those flaws become impossible to hide. Beyond basketball concerns, financial realities loom even larger.

Years of aggressive extensions have pushed Cleveland into a full blown salary crisis. Their total payroll now sits at 228.6 million dollars, the highest in the league and well beyond the second tax apron. Without any roster moves, the Cavaliers are projected to pay at least 164 million in luxury tax. Once a team crosses that threshold, roster flexibility essentially vanishes. Other franchises have already shown the way out, choosing financial resets over stubborn contention. From a Jeetbuzz Login long range outlook, it seems only a matter of time before Cleveland opens the door to major changes, because when it rains, it pours, and this storm is only gathering strength.