Rodney Hood has Ty Lue's permission to be super-aggressive on offense. (Carlos Osorio, Associated Press)

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- After opening the preseason with two straight wins against the Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers suffered a few setbacks.

Injuries caused head coach Tyronn Lue to shuffle his lineups and it seemed to disrupt the Cavaliers' rhythm.

Lue said one of the preseason goals was to develop chemistry. The minor injuries prevented that. Lue also said he wanted the team to stay healthy. That didn’t really happen either -- although Kevin Love and Cedi Osman likely would have suited up had it been a regular season contest.

So what did Lue think about the preseason?

"I don't know," he said. "A lot of guys being in and out of the rotation. Having nagging injuries and that kind of hurt us. Guys playing different positions, trying to learn multiple positions when they're just getting here so it was kind of hard tonight."

The Cavs have more practice time coming before Wednesday’s opener. They will be back on the floor Saturday. They plan to maximize every session.

"We had a great camp," Lue said. "That first game and the second game as well I thought we had a little momentum. Once guys like Cedi went out, Rodney (Hood), Kevin, Larry (Nance Jr.), kind of puts you behind the eight-ball a little bit so we have to have these three or four days to catch up."

Here are five observations from the preseason.

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Disappearing 3-ball

Let's point a few things out first.

Love was the Cavaliers' third-best 3-point shooter last season, shooting 41.5 percent and averaging a team-high 2.3 per night. Love only played in one preseason game so it's hard to judge the Cavaliers when the final three games were without their best player and offensive focal point.

The team's best long-range shooter from a year ago was suited up for the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. That was Jose Calderon, who shot a blistering 46.4 percent from deep.

LeBron James often created many of those open outside looks by putting the defense in a constant pick-your-poison bind.

Now that we have those disclaimers, it's time to ask a very important question: Can the Cavaliers still be a prolific 3-point shooting team?

Well, if the preseason is foreshadowing, the answer will be emphatic.

It's a no.

In four games, the Cavs averaged just 8.3 made triples, which ranked 30th out of 40 teams (overseas squads played a game or two). Of the NBA teams ranked, only the Timberwolves, Spurs and Lakers made fewer 3s per game. A sign of some change, the Cavs only fired up 24.3 per night. That’s eight fewer than last season, when the 3-ball was both a weapon and a detriment, depending on the game.

Everything could change in the regular season opener. But it's something to monitor. In terms of made 3s, six of the top eight teams made the playoffs -- and that remains Cleveland's goal.

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Tristan Thompson has come to camp in better shape. (Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer)

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Tristan Thompson's comeback

Thompson is one of many players looking to rebound after terrible 2017-18. He’s off to a hopeful start.

Arguably the team's best player in Friday night's 129-110 loss to the Pistons, Thompson capped a solid preseason by scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds, including four on the offensive end. That level of play has been consistent for Thompson -- in camp and games.

"Just being professional," Lue said. "Been starting him sometimes and then bringing him off the bench and giving him different looks. But he's been really good and bringing a physicality. Understanding what we want to do offensively because he's a very smart player. And defensively he's always really good. Been really good."

A knee injury last off-season threw everything off. It kept Thompson from arriving at camp in shape. Then came an early-November injury that cost him the next 19 games. When he returned, he looked rusty and out of place, leading to a drop in playing time. There was another injury in March and a few DNPs at the start of the postseason before Thompson forced his way back into the rotation.

Still, ask him and he will admit it was the worst year of his seven-year NBA career.

"Last year, missing all those games, it's not what I want to happen this year," Thompson said. "Staying in tip-top shape and stay healthy. Really just kind of treating the recovery part like a second job.

"Obviously go through the practice and lift weights but when I'm down and not playing basketball make sure I'm taking care of my body because it's going to be a long season and this team is going to depend on me a lot on both ends. Have to be able to play at 110 percent every game."

So how does he feel this season, with the opener coming on Wednesday?

"Feeling in mid-season form," he said.

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Jordan Clarkson has earned praise from Ty Lue. (Mike Mulholland, MLive.com)

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Ty's preseason stars

Lue was asked following Friday's loss which player stood out during preseason. Without hesitation, Lue named Jordan Clarkson.

The two worked together during the summer. Clarkson met Lue in Vegas. Lue even went out to Los Angeles, where Clarkson spends his summers.

Lue wanted Clarkson to work on dribbling with his eyes up so he can make plays for his teammates. The two also tried to improve Clarkson's pick-and-roll game, getting him to set up the defender to create more space for his jumper. But the main message from Lue was to slow down, hoping Clarkson wouldn't play such a frantic style -- the kind that got him benched during the playoffs when he was seemingly dribbling with blinders on and driving into traffic without a plan.

“We're going to need him to score the basketball, that's what he does," Lue said. "We've got to put him in positions to score."

Clarkson, 26, is entering his first full season in Cleveland after being traded by the Lakers on Feb. 8. He's going to be one of the anchors of Cleveland's new-look, fast-paced second unit, playing alongside rookie Collin Sexton.

The goal is to let Clarkson play free and take some of the scoring burden away from the rookie.

"It's a faster game when we get in there," Clarkson said. "We push the pace. Collin does a great job of getting in the paint, scoring and putting pressure on guys. I'm doing the same thing. There's two sides you're getting attack basketball from. It's definitely been a great experience through this training camp being able to play alongside him and the rest of the guys. I know we're probably going to try and mix up lineups and things through the year, but I think it's been great."

In 17.6 minutes per game this preseason, Clarkson averaged 10.6 points on 13-of-27 (48.1 percent) from the field.

The other player Lue singled out was Rodney Hood, who poured in 21 points in the preseason finale. Hood has been told to be aggressive. Lue even smiled before saying there "is no line" that Hood can cross with his new-found attack mentality.

"He's not going to take bad shots," Lue said. "Need him to be aggressive in transition, we're running plays for him so be aggressive in getting to the basket and he did a good job of that tonight. Has to continue to do that."

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Cedi Osman is being counted upon for far more than ever before. (Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer)

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Cedi the playmaker

No one has talked to Osman -- or anyone else on the team -- about filling LeBron’s shoes. It's futile. Everyone recognizes that. Without James, the Cavs are going to have to win with a committee approach.

Still, Osman is in James’ old spot. And the Cavs are giving him plenty of responsibility.

Not only is he expected to take the defensive challenge against the opponent’s best wing (think Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant and, of course, James), but he’s also getting an opportunity to be more of a playmaker.

“Actually that’s, let’s say, not like a secret weapon because you guys probably seen me for the first time playing with the ball that much, but mostly overseas and National Team especially I was playing like that all the time,” Osman said recently. “Probably for you guys it’s something new so hopefully you guys are going to see all season, you guys are going to see nice passes.”

He missed all but seven minutes of the Indiana game because of ankle soreness and then sat out Friday night. That shows how far Osman has come. After starting just 12 games, he's in that five-man lineup, being treated like a starter and will be an important piece to their success.

In those two games, Osman showed some growth, even lead the Cavs in assists at 2.7 per game.

With increased playing time and more opportunity, that number should rise even more. This is an all-hands-on-deck approach on offense. The ball won't be sticking to one player. Nor will it stay on one side of the floor. That doesn't mean the offense will be better. Just that it will be different. Osman dropping pocket passes is just one example.

While the second-year man is still working to become a more consistent scorer, he should be able to fill the box score and help in multiple ways.

From that standpoint, he will be playing LeBron’s role.

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Ish put the MOVES ON and hit one at the 🚨 pic.twitter.com/oK2srgTzcB — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 13, 2018

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Welcome to the NBA -- again

Playing against Darren Collison in the third preseason game was great experience for Sexton. Collison -- quick, aggressive and smart -- got the better of the teenager that night. But that’s life in the NBA.

Sexton got another important teaching point late in the third quarter on Friday night. After drilling a pull-up jumper, Detroit’s Ish Smith raced to the other end, put a move on Sexton and canned a 20-footer at the buzzer. Smith's teammates went nuts. Pistons fans inside the Breslin Center erupted as well.

“Welcome to the NBA,” Lue said. “A lot of good players. Ain’t going to be the first. Won’t be the last. As long as he keeps competing, don’t let it get you down. Collin will be fine.”

Sexton smiled after Smith’s shot. Sexton nodded all the way to the bench. It seemed to fire him up.

That’s how Sexton is wired. He loves the competition. It brings out the best in him. In the fourth quarter, following that play, Sexton scored half of his eight points. And after the game, he took everything in stride, quickly realizing that sometimes quality offense will win.

“It was good defense,” Sexton said. “He just made a tough shot. That’s all I can do. Next time, play the same D and if he makes it again he makes it again.”

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