Predicting the NBA Eastern Conference standings: Cleveland Cavaliers
CEILING: Play-in tournament, first round exit
FLOOR: Top-5 pick
The Cavs have accumulated enough interesting young pieces to finally enter the “hey, maybe they can win some games” stage of their rebuild. Evan Mobley is a genuine franchise cornerstone — a worthy No. 1 pick most years — while Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Collin Sexton form a formidable “veteran” offensive core.
The big next step in Cleveland’s evolution is defense. The offense is powerful enough when everyone is healthy, but the Cavs have been a dreadful defensive team ever since the rebuild began. Now, they have the personnel to improve. Allen and Mobley are long, rangy rim protectors, while Larry Nance Jr. is a game-breaking agent of chaos. Insert Isaac Okoro, possibly the best defender from last year’s draft and a hellish obstacle at the point of attack, and you have the makings of a genuinely effective defense.
The future of Collin Sexton is still unsettled, but any trade would net Cleveland another strong contributor. Darius Garland has All-Star potential at point guard (not next season perhaps, but soon). His blend of pull-up shooting, slippery downhill playmaking, and basketball I.Q. are the engine that will drive Cleveland. Mobley has the skill set and athleticism to contribute at a high level right away.
It may be too early to predict legitimate success for Cleveland — next season could very easily end in another high draft pick — but we have reached the point where a playoff appearance isn’t entirely out of the picture, even if it’s just a brief cameo as the ninth or 10th seed in the play-in tournament.