A brief look at the Cleveland Cavaliers current roster and depth chart for 2017-2018

Small forward

LeBron James

Kyle Korver

Cedi Osman

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have the same starting small forward they’ve had for the past three seasons and for 11 out of the past 15 seasons. LeBron James — the King — the Little Emperor — the Akron Hammer — the Chosen One. James enters his 15th season looking as athletic as some players do at the start of their career. However, at 32-years old and heavy mileage due to his workload and his ability to reach the NBA Finals consistently (he’s been to seven consecutive NBA Finals and eight in total), his health is of the utmost importance this season. He already suffered an ankle injury early in training camp that has effected his ability to gel with his current teammates but he’s probably the most intelligent player in the NBA and one of the league’s premier passers, so the transition should be smooth though not seamless. With Rose and Wade starting in the backcourt at the beginning of the season, James has two players with him on the perimeter that excel as slashers so he can play off-ball at the beginning of games and conserve energy for defense. Even on the defensive end, with Jae Crowder beside him in the frontcourt, James’ job becomes easier because he won’t often be guarding the toughest assignments but quarterbacking the backline of what should be an aggressive defense this season. Behind James are Kyle Korver, one of the league’s best catch-and-shoot threats (if not the best) and Cedi Osman (a rookie forward with versatility and two-way ability). Osman will likely spend a lot of time in Canton this season with John Holland.