The end to the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 2021-22 season didn’t go as one would’ve hoped. The Cavaliers slipped down the steps post-All-Star break, as they then went just 9-15, and the team lost in both of their play-in tournament games to the Brooklyn Nets and then Atlanta Hawks.
That was somewhat disappointing, as the Cavs were among the best teams in the Eastern Conference for much of the season, and they were 35-23 pre-All-Star break.
I can’t necessarily gloss over the teams’ injuries in that closing stretch of games, though, as the Cavaliers were without Jarrett Allen for most of post-All-Star play because of a fractured finger, and the defense was a shell of itself. In that realm, Dean Wade missing much of the closing stretch and the play-in games with a partially torn meniscus didn’t help, either.
It was less than ideal how Caris LeVert missed the first nine games of post-All-Star break play with a foot sprain, also, and it didn’t enable him to establish a rhythm game-to-game shortly after his arrival via trade from the Indiana Pacers.
Even still, while the closing stretch of the season didn’t illuminate it, the Cavs did have a very good season, compared to the expectations heading in, and the team for much of the year overcame a bunch of injuries. The club didn’t have Collin Sexton (torn meniscus) for most of the season, to that point.
That said, despite a tough end of the season, there were positives then, as Evan Mobley continued to often show signs of development as a potential superstar to come down the road, Darius Garland kept up his star-level play and Lamar Stevens showed promise.
Looking at next season, a few Cavaliers players I would expect to keep up their strong finish to this season, in particular, and let’s take a closer look at those guys.
Three Cavs players, especially, should hit the ground running next season, and we’ll highlight them here.
The first is well, not a shocker.
#1: Darius Garland
The first Cavaliers player that should hit the ground running next season is Darius Garland.
Garland emerged as one of the best young guards in the NBA this season, as he made his first All-Star appearance, and had averages of 21.7 points and 8.6 assists per game. That assists clip was sixth in the NBA during this regular season, and on the year, Garland was seventh in total assists.
In the month of March, Garland broke the Cavaliers record for point-assist double-doubles in a calendar month with 11, passing Mark Price in doing so. The Cavs as a team struggled then, I believe partly because of injuries, but Garland continued to play outstanding basketball in that span.
So, in short, even while some of the increased splits for him, even more so in the closing stretch of the season, had some to do with it, Garland was terrific for Cleveland all year, and next season, I believe he’ll pick up where he left off. That’s even with Sexton likely back in the fold, potentially coming off a new deal, and whether or not Garland is extended perhaps via max deal, which could reportedly play out this offseason it appears.
Garland is still a young player, and at times, he can overextend, leading to some ill-advised turnover plays, but by and large, he’s made major strides over the course of the past two seasons, and I’d expect him to only get better in Year 4. And at the outset of next season, after hopefully another productive offseason, I’d anticipate that Garland keeps improving as a playmaker and well-rounded scorer early on in his fourth year, which will end up being his age-23 season.
I’d think that we could see Garland make his second consecutive All-Star Game next season, too, which could be another one of many of those to come for him in his career with the Cavs for the long haul it appears.
#2: Lauri Markkanen
Secondly, I personally believe we’ll see Lauri Markkanen keep his momentum going from the close to this season.
Markkanen’s first year with the Cavaliers following his sign-and-trade acquisition from the Chicago Bulls was one with inconsistencies, and it took him time to establish a rhythm. Unfortunately for Markkanen, after he looked to be hitting his stride and much more comfortable in early-to-mid January, he missed 11 games leading into the All-Star break.
When he came back, while some of it had to do with Jarrett Allen’s absence featuring him more at the 4 spot offensively, instead of a de facto 3, where he was often this season, Markkanen was on-point All-Star. Then, he had 16.7 points per game and connected on 38.1 percent from three, and was settling in more, and playing off other Cavaliers well.
It’s still not clear if the tall-ball lineup can work looking onward, but Markkanen with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen was a meaningful defensive wrinkle when the trio was healthy, and the Cavaliers should try that out more next season.
It does seem that even with there not being a ton of trade rumors involving him, though, that Markkanen could be a potential trade piece before next season, perhaps in a deal for an established wing. Jerami Grant has been rumored to be a potential trade target, for instance, and Markkanen as part of salary matching could be involved, in that scenario.
I still would expect Markkanen to be back next season, to clear that up, however, and with how he came on as a shooter and flashed some driving and post-up ability at times even with the two other bigs often with him, I’d imagine Markkanen starts off next season well. He’s an instinctive cutter, too, in that realm.
This season, it was understandable for Markkanen to start slow in a new situation. But next season, even with a potential wing draft selection, and with others involved, I still believe we’ll see Markkanen get a bunch of opportunities. And with better chemistry and feel for his sweet spots, he could very well get off to a really good start this go-round.
#3: Lamar Stevens
This might be my own perspective, and I acknowledge that some of it was feasibly due to a partial meniscus tear for Dean Wade, but I personally could foresee Lamar Stevens having more minutes in the earlier portion of next season. He was given more at the end of this season, and had 9.2 points in 21.5 minutes per game in his last 18 regular season appearances.
Stevens didn’t play much in the Cavaliers’ two play-in losses, however, he received more minutes gradually as the year wore on, as we noted, and in his second year, he made further strides defensively as a multi-positional player. And on the offensive end, Stevens demonstrated growth as a driver in set offense, showed ability to hit some pull-ups in the mid-range, and his cutting feel improved.
As we mentioned, Stevens made his presence felt throughout his second season on both ends of the floor, and with his defensive versatility, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him regularly be involved in the rotation for 20-24 minutes per outing early on. If that leads to a reduced role for the likes of Cedi Osman (if he’s around) and/or Isaac Okoro, whether or not Okoro starts, oh well.
In any case, while it’s fair to question if Stevens has a notable minutes-share, him having 6.1 points and 16.1 minutes per outing last season, in 63 appearances, 13 of which were starts, leads me to believe he could have more opportunities. It’s not certain what will transpire in that regard for him, but Stevens is one of Cleveland’s best defenders currently, and he can legitimately play for stretches 2-4.
Based on his strong close to the 2021-22 campaign, I think we could see him build on that as an energy player for this Wine and Gold team, and in varying lineups, he could be another Cavs player that hits the ground running next season.
I could’ve went with Evan Mobley in this sense, I just figured I’d go with one guy a bit under-the-radar, and Lamar is a player that made a strong case this season for more minutes in his upcoming third season.
We’ll have to see what plays out, of course.