Dan Favale of Bleacher Report believes the Cavaliers could make a splash next season.
“The recency effect plays too large a role in the Cavaliers’ championship chances,” Favale wrote in his NBA column. “Last year they faced an existential crisis with every member of the Big Four except Jarrett Allen only sporadically available. Their story was one of three to five different seasons. This inconsistency made it difficult to build synergy and momentum and to unify core principles and styles.”
“At the same time, the constant urgency forced us to do some soul-searching. The Cavs have a better understanding of their best stacked matchups and the benefits of keeping Allen and Evan Mobley apart. Towards the end of the year, they also had a better understanding of what their offense can look like when Mobley shoots and hits (some) threes. That’s all information new head coach Kenny Atkinson can use to optimize an incredibly talented, if imperfectly fitting, core.”
The Cavaliers signed contract extensions with Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell in the offseason and rejected all trade offers for Darius Garland.
Cleveland also fired JB Bickerstaff as head coach and signed Kenny Atkinson for five years.
The Cavaliers finished 48-34 last season. They defeated the Orlando Magic in seven games in the first round of the playoffs, but lost to the Boston Celtics in five games in the second round.
“People will still be hanging on to the Big Four’s performance last season,” Favale wrote in his NBA column. “Cleveland barely gained the minutes played by Allen, Mobley, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. But the sample size is much smaller (819 possessions) than in 2022-23, when the quartet posted a net rating of 10.2 on 1,729 possessions.
“Next year’s Cavs are better and stronger than the first-year version of them. There’s no way a team with four All-Star guys, all of whom are in or nearing their peak, could have peaked in their first season. And if last year’s completely flawed version of Cleveland could pull off 48 wins and a playoff series victory, imagine what a healthier, more talented and better-optimized version of that team can do.”
