5 big problems facing LeBron James and the Cavs

4. Inexperience

While it might seem like a direct contradiction to have an ‘Aging Veterans’ slide next to an ‘Inexperience’ slide, it makes complete sense. The Cavs old players are experienced and proven at the highest level. The younger players, on the other hand, are unproven in any real pressure situations.

On the current roster, the Cavs have six players under 24 years old: Dellevadova (24), Irving (22), Thompson (23), Joe Harris (23), Alex Kirk (22), Waiters (22).

Other than Love (26), A.J. Price (27), and James (29), the Cavs don’t have anyone else in that age group in between young players and old players. Everyone else on the roster is either really old in NBA years or really young. That could be incredibly problematic for the Cavs on the court and in the locker room.

Think of how James took Mario Chalmers under his wing and yelled in his face repeatedly for four seasons in Miami.

Now, James has to do that with at least three different players, Irving, Dellevadova, and Waiters, and probably Thompson, too.

By my calculation, James can’t be in four people’s ears and faces at the same time. That’s physically impossible. On top of that, he doesn’t have Wade or Bosh to help him bring the youngsters along.

Other than Irving’s experience with Team USA, he hasn’t played an actual game that mattered in the NBA. Neither has Love, Waiters, or Thompson. Combined, Irving, Love, Waiters, and Thompson have exactly as much playoff experience as me, you, and anyone else who hasn’t played in the NBA in their lifetime, zero games

I mean, they’ve got to get playoff experience at some point, but it seems foolish to proclaim the Cavs as the favorites when four of the best seven players have never played in an NBA playoff game. Even with the Cavs veteran-laden roster, I don’t know if they can make up that big of an experience gap in one season.