James has a point: the Cavaliers bench is scoring just 28.9 points per game as of Wednesday morning, third-worst in the NBA, on 42.3 percent shooting from the field. And if it doesn’t improve soon it could hold them back from repeating as NBA champions.

Over the past decade, only one team, the 2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers, finished the regular season with a net rating outside of the top-8 for its reserves. Six of the 10 ended within the top-4.

Cleveland’s bench is currently getting outscored by 1.6 net points per 100 possessions, placing them 16th among the league’s 30 reserve units. During the 2015-16 title run, the Cavaliers’ bench ended the regular season with a net rating of plus-3.5, sixth best in the NBA. Two of the league’s perennial title contenders, the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors, rank No. 1 (plus-10.7) and No. 2 (plus-6.1), respectively, this season for net rating by their bench. And those numbers are more in line with what we expect from an eventual NBA champion.

The problems started at the end of December, when J.R. Smith, the team’s starting shooting guard, opted for surgery to repair a broken right thumb. Before the injury, Smith was only averaging 8.6 points per game but he was solid in transition (1.2 points per possession) and excellent coming off the screen (12 for 30, all 12 makes from beyond the three-point line). Defensively he held spot-up shooters to 33.3 percent from the field, placing him in the top 15 percent of the NBA. His absence necessitated promoting Iman Shumpert into the starting lineup, further depleting the bench.

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It also kept James on the court longer during each game.

James, who turned 32 in December, is averaging two more minutes per game than he did last season and is playing minutes comparable to his days as a 27- and 28-year-old with the Miami Heat. James’s minutes per game have also increased each month since November, definitely a concern for an older player who logs close to 40 minutes per game in the playoffs.

James has also expressed concern at point guard, where the team’s backup is a weak spot. Rookie Kay Felder is averaging 4.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in relief of Kyrie Irving, but the team is much improved with him off the court (plus-5.1 net rating) than when he is on it (minus-2.7 net rating). Felder’s 16.7 percent turnover rate is also highest on the team, the exact opposite of what you want from your floor general.

The team’s best reserve, Channing Frye, is scoring 9.2 points with 3.5 rebounds per game while playing 18.3 minutes per night. His plus-0.13 Real Plus Minus, which is his net point differential per 100 possessions adjusted for teammates and opponents, would have him rank 31st among centers, where he has played 100 percent of his minutes per the NBA’s player tracking data. Plus, for a team that thrives in transition (1.17 points per possession, fifth-most in the NBA in 2016), Frye isn’t an ideal fit. He is poor at shooting down the right wing (4-for-13 this season) and even worse when he is the trailer on the break (3-for-13), even when he is set up perfectly by James for a wide-open three.

The good news is there is plenty of time for Cavaliers general manager David Griffin to figure out a solution. (The bad news is his options on what he can trade away are limited.)