The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a great start to their 2021-2022 campaign. Currently, the Cavs are sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, behind the 76ers, Heat, Nets, Wizards, and Bulls. Sunday night the Cavs continued their winning ways by dominating the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 126-109.
Offseason acquisition Ricky Rubio was in rare form during the game, scoring a career-high 37 points, and knocking down 8-of-9 three-point attempts. Evan Mobley, the Cavs’ selection with the third overall pick this summer, looked great again, scoring 26 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and dishing out five assists. He’s been everything Cavalier fans have been hoping he would be and more. Through eleven games, the big man is averaging nearly 15 points per game and grabbing nine rebounds per game. Right now, I would say he’s in a dead-heat with the Raptor’s Scottie Barnes as the most impressive rookie thus far.
All of the offseason acquisitions made by Koby Altman and the front office have worked out pretty well. Re-signing Jarrett Allen to a five-year, $100 million contract, is looking like a bargain early on. Allen is averaging a double-double this season, with fifteen points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Lauri Markkanen is another player that the Cavalier front office went out and got this offseason. Before entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols, he was averaging nearly 13 points per game as a starter. However, the best move Altman has made was trading for NBA veteran Ricky Rubio. He’s in complete control when he’s on the court, and he’s putting up 13 points per game.
Outside of the offseason acquisitions, the backcourt tandem of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland has looked good early on. They’ve combined to average over 30 points per game, while also shooting above 45%. However, there just seems to be one thing missing from this Cavs team if they want to be real contenders in the East. Markkanen’s best role on this team is coming off the bench, but with no real wing talent, he has to start at the three.
The Cavs are off to a great start, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t look for ways to improve. What are the pros and cons of a trade for Brandon Ingram?
Defensively, it’s a great setup for the Cavaliers, but on offense it’s still a work in progress. A couple of months ago, I proposed that the Cavs should try and trade for Brandon Ingram. While the Cavs have been good early on, it’s intriguing to think about how good the Cavs could be with a great wing player such as Ingram.