Weems inherits a roster. The defense is his problem to solve.

Brandon Weems is officially the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, capping a decade-long climb that started when he joined the organization as a scout in 2015. The promotion was confirmed Thursday, and by now the broad strokes of his roster are set — Donovan Mitchell locked in, James Harden back, Peyton Watson added at forward to address a position that was quietly thin all season.

What isn't set is the thing that actually ended Cleveland's year. The Cavaliers allowed 119 points per game over the final ten games of the regular season, a number that didn't improve in the playoffs. The roster construction Weems inherits is sound on paper — Mitchell at 27.3 PPG, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen anchoring the frontcourt — but none of that prevented a defensive unraveling when the schedule got hard. That's the problem sitting on his desk when training camp opens.

The Weems storyline has gotten a lot of coverage this week, and fairly so — he's a kid from Akron who played high school ball with LeBron James and built his own front-office career from the ground up. But the biography matters less than the mandate. Cleveland is a contender with a specific, documented flaw. His job is to fix it.