A fundamental question that is costing Cleveland games early

Despite losing 114-104, Cleveland Cavaliers got to the rim a lot against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night in a physical matchup. The problem is that they didn’t take advantage of their opportunities. In addition to missing 16 shots, the Cavs went 20-of-32 from the free throw line, giving up critical points in a game that could have had a different outcome had they been downed.

“You have to make free throws,” Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said in his postgame press conference. “Especially the fourth quarter, late in the game. It’s tough. It’s such an important part of the game, especially when you have 32 attempts; you have to knock them down. We haven’t been good since the preseason, really, shooting free throws. We practice them like everybody.

“He’s going to turn over though. He’s going to turn over. We’ve got good free throw shooters. So Darius (Garland), obviously, is like, what, mid-80s? So that’s another guy, Max (Struse), a good free throw shooter. So we’re just not making them right now. It’s hurting us.”

The Cavs were a middling team at 77.6% from the stripe last season, but their 75.0% through 16 games ranks fifth worst in the NBA. De’Andre Hunter knows the wine and gold need those hits at the charity stripe to fall.

“There’s a lot of games like (Wednesday) and some games we’ve won, we could have had a bigger lead or been in the game even more,” Hunter said. “So it’s just something we have to work on individually; it’s not really a team thing. We just have to be better in that area.”

“It’s a mental thing, and it’s a step for us,” Donovan Mitchell he added. “We’ve got to convert, they’re free, they’re there, they’ve got to put in the work and put in the time. I didn’t know we were that low, but it’s on us. It’s a mental thing, going out there, making free throws. We’re doing a good job of getting there, right?”

At least four Cavs left points on the line against Houston, including Dean Wade, Nae’Kwan Tomlin and Lonzo Ball, but Evan MobleyA 4 out of 10 showing hurt further because of the amount of chances there were.

Sixteen games into the season, Mobley’s free throw percentage has fallen below 60% and is the worst in the NBA among those with at least six attempts. Cleveland’s All-Star forward realizes it’s “very important” to get better.

“I’ve got to get better,” Mobley said. That’s probably the worst free throw I’ve ever shot in my entire basketball career. I just have to figure it out. Keep repeating. We’ll figure it out soon.”

In the end, he believes it will come down to focus and routine. Practice turns into game habits.

“It’s going to change eventually,” Mobley said. “I’m just going to keep working until it changes.”

“I haven’t looked at it,” Atkinson added. “I mean, maybe I should take a look, right? But usually those things are confidence, and he’s probably lost confidence. And guys go through that, they go through these slumps, and he’s a good free throw shooter. He’ll come back. I just think it’s probably a mental thing, a little bit of confidence lost.”

On the plus side, getting to the bucket and drawing five fouls in a game means Mobley is going downhill with the right mentality.

“Getting there 10 times is huge,” Mitchell said. “It’s big time. Especially for him. Easy points, have to convert.”

Overall, Cleveland needs to get one of the simplest aspects of basketball right — or it will quickly turn into a long year.

“You can find someone every night,” Mitchell said. “It’s not just (Wednesday). Everybody, we have to do our part. We make our free throws.”