Cleveland Cavaliers: Updating the Eastern Conference power rankings
Through 15 games the Cleveland Cavaliers are well on their way to competing for the top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft with a 4-11 record. Where do they stack up against the rest of the Eastern Conference through November 23rd?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are trending painfully in the wrong direction. They started the season off pretty solidly and were even as high as seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. The last two weeks have dealt the Cavaliers a dose of reality as they have lost six consecutive games.
In the preseason Eastern Conference power rankings, the Cavaliers sat in the 13th spot in the conference. After a pretty solid sample size of 15 games, where do they stand as of now?
#15 – Atlanta Hawks
Record – 4-12
Current streak – lost 6
The Atlanta Hawks are perhaps the most disappointing team in the Eastern Conference. They have, however, had a bit of bad luck as Trae Young missed a few games early in the season with an ankle injury, John Collins is currently in the midst of serving a 25 game suspension for PED use, and Kevin Huerter is recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered in Denver.
The Hawks currently hold the worst +/- differential in the Eastern Conference at -9.9 points-per-game according to ESPN and are 1-9 over their previous 10 games.
Expect the Hawks to shoot back up the conference power rankings as Young continues his stellar play, and Huerter and Collins return from their absences.
#14 – New York Knicks
Record – 4-12
Current streak – lost 2
The New York Knicks had higher hopes, coming into the season than what they are showing thus far. There has been drama and turmoil in New York over the current status of Knicks’ head coach David Fizdale.
More from King James Gospel
- 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
- The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
- 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
- 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
- This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead
It’s hard to blame Fizdale entirely for the current Knicks record as the team that is constructed seems to be a bunch of point guards and power forwards with little depth at the other spots.
Julius Randle and, at times, R.J. Barrett have been bright spots for the Knicks but they haven’t gotten the production that they had expected from other guys, coming into the season. They currently have a -6.9 points-per-game scoring differential per ESPN and are just 3-7 over their previous 10 games.
#13 – Cleveland Cavaliers
Record – 5-11
Current streak – won 1
What a brutal stretch the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently on. Tristan Thompson has started to come back down to Earth after his unbelievable start, Kevin Love is battling an achy lower back, which has happened a few times in the past, and Collin Sexton has struggled with ball distribution.
The Cavs, at one point, were playing excellent defense. That isn’t the case any longer as they have been getting shredded on the defensive end. They sport a next to last +/- point differential of -7.3 points-per-game according to ESPN and are just 3-7 over their previous 10 games.