This One Graphic Shows Just How Little Help LeBron Is Getting From The Rest Of The Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to 3-3 on the season with the teams’ second straight loss, falling to the Pelicans 123-101 days after losing to the lowly Nets. The biggest concern for Cleveland right now is the defense, which comes as little surprise considering the makeup of the roster.

While it wasn’t difficult to see the potential issues the Cavs would have on defense, the reality has been worse than many figured it would be. Their defensive rating of 109.3 is the 26th worst mark in the league (via NBA.com), with only the Nets, Pacers, Mavs, and Timberwolves below them. With an offensive rating of 106.1 (11th in the NBA), Cleveland isn’t able to make up for their defensive woes on that end of the floor.

A roster filled with aging guards and players you’d generally associate with offense rather than defense, this was certainly a possibility, but it’s staggering how little help LeBron James has. The folks over at NBAMath.com created a handy chart to show exactly how much James is doing by himself to try and keep the Cavs’ ship afloat and how the rest of the team has managed to be a net-negative defensively.

This chart shows every Cavs player’s “total points added” which factors in their offensive points added and defensive points saved when they are on the court (you can find the full definition of how they come up with this here). As you can see, there’s not a single other player on the Cavs that has been a positive on the defensive side of the ball aside from LeBron, and only Kyle Korver, Kevin Love, Channing Frye, Jeff Green, and Derrick Rose have been positives on offense.

For years, during his first stint with the Cavs, it appeared as thought James was carrying the Cavs deep into the playoffs almost all on his own. Now, with Kyrie Irving gone, it appears as though he’s back to taking on that role again, at least on the defensive end of the floor.