The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the midst of a huge season, starting 31-21 in the 2021-22 NBA season. That’s been far above what anybody expected them to do, especially with large amounts of injuries.
The month of January, in particular, was spectacular. The Cavs played 15 games and won 11 of them. This was the best month of the season by far, not just this season though; throughout the last three seasons the Cavaliers put up 19 wins in back-to-back seasons and 22 wins last season.
Not only is it their best month of the season, but they have not matched 11 wins in a month since November of 2017; during LeBron James‘ second stint with his hometown team.
The Cavs never had a month during the last three seasons where they won 11 games, making this season the best they’ve experienced since the second departure of LeBron James.
Darius Garland solidified his All-Star worthiness, at least, averaging 20.4 points and 10.2 assists per game for the month. He posted these numbers while also shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 91.2 percent from the free throw line.
The Cavaliers played team basketball the entire month, putting up 25.9 assists per game. This team has a culture of sharing the wealth, working to perfection during January. Kevin Love alluded to this style of play during his postgame interview after the win versus the Bucks.
Five different players averaged over 10 points per game during that stretch, all of which averaged at least 13.5. These players were: Darius Garland (20.4), Evan Mobley (15.7), Jarrett Allen (14.3), Lauri Markkanen (14.1), and Kevin Love (13.5).
Rookie Evan Mobley continued his excellence, showcasing his wide array of talents throughout the month.
During this past month, Mobley continuously posted great numbers, especially for a 20-year-old rookie. He averaged 15.7 points, 8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while being the only Cavalier to start every game in January.
The star forward also contributed to winning in other ways that don’t necessarily appear in the traditional stat sheet, playing superb defense by moving his feet and boxing out players after a shot goes up; finding ways to contribute when he is not directly involved in the play.
Evan Mobley was also named as a contender for the Defensive Player of the Year award during January while seemingly retaining his lead for the Rookie of the Year award.
This month was not without its struggles, though, as the Cavs lost four games, including some that they should have won.
Three of the losses the Cavaliers endured this past month were to contenders, including two of those games being played on the road.
The fourth loss, however, came against the Pistons in Detroit. The game was close for a large portion of the game, until the Cavs managed to score just 17 points in the fourth quarter.
The struggles would continue, as they had to edge out the New Orleans Pelicans in a close game the next day, while Garland sat out with back soreness. He missed Cleveland’s loss at the Houston Rockets on Wednesday as well.
Anyhow, ultimately, January was just a small chunk of a long 82-game season. The Cavaliers have their eyes set on a playoff berth and don’t plan on slowing down.
This may, however, just be a glimpse at what’s to come for this young Cleveland team.