The Raptors are the Cavs’ biggest rival for the next 5 years
By Corey Casey
How the Cavs and Raptors proceeded from there, and how both got their game-changers
In 2019 Altman added Darius Garland who is the teams’ best player, while also drafting another guy who looks like a superstar in Evan Mobley in 2021. As great as Garland has been Mobley still is likely the best talent long term. From there, Altman also added Collin Sexton, who is an important piece going forward, and Isaac Okoro is a good defender.
Plus, Altman was also able to pry Allen away from the Nets in 2020 by including the Cavs in a 4-team trade that sent James Harden then to Brooklyn. Garland is the Cavs’ best player and ultimately is what makes their offense go, but Mobley and Allen completely changed the Cavs defense when they have been healthy this year.
For the Raptors after Kawhi left they were able to stay competitive until 2020 when they had a semi-tank year seemingly. Ironically the Cavaliers and Raptors continue to stay connected. Entering the 2021 NBA Draft, the Cavs and Raptors had the 5th and 7th-best odds to land the top pick, respectively. The Raptors were able to jump from 7th to 4th in the lottery, while the Cavs after a couple years of bad luck jumped from 5 to 3 as they once again got some good luck in the lottery.
Mobley obviously went 3rd, but the Raptors shocked some on draft night and took Scottie Barnes. Vice Chairman and President Masai Ujiri continues to look like a genius with that pick. Mobley and Barnes have been the two best rookies all year. Mobley completely changed things for the Cavs and though the Raptors had a good core before, getting Barnes is a game-changer as well.
You can argue a few teams in a tough Eastern Conference the next 5 years who can be the Cavs’ rival, but nobody should be surprised if its the Raptors. You can call it a rivalry renewed, but we’ll move on to what’s the most clear aspect of that, Mobley versus Barnes. For me Mobley is the clear Rookie of the Year, but that shouldn’t take away from Barnes in any way.
Barnes and Mobley have already had some great battles this year. In the 3 games Mobley and Barnes have gone head-to-head Mobley is 2-1, while also outplaying him head-to-head. Mobley and Barnes have been the two best rookies all year and have impacted winning all year for their respective teams, too. This is only the start and we should see plenty of battles in the coming years regular season and playoffs, as both players take leaps into superstardom.
Unlike some of the other potential teams in the East, the Raptors’ core isn’t super young and inexperienced or at the point of a Miami Heat where you have some key guys who are aging. The Cavaliers have built a great core to go forward with in Mobley/Garland and to a lesser degree, Allen.