Going into the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers had very low expectations. As the season progressed, those expectations began to increase. The Cavs looked like they were positioned to make the playoffs, but they got bit by the injury bug and lost key games down the stretch. As a result, they were forced to earn their way into the playoffs through the play-in tournament.
The Cavs’ playoff hopes were dashed as they fell to the Brooklyn Nets 115-108 in Brooklyn, followed by a loss to the Atlanta Hawks 107-101 in Cleveland.
Had the Cavs not suffered key injuries down the stretch, they would have made the playoffs. More likely than not, the Cavs could have ended up as the No. 5 seed. This would’ve set up a matchup with the No. 4 seed Philadelphia 76ers, who could end up being the Cavs’ newest rival.
Could the Cavaliers have won that series? Most likely not. Regardless, it could’ve gone the full seven games. Plus, each game would’ve gone right down to the wire. It might’ve been one of the best opening-round series in NBA history!
Even though the Cavs fell short in the play-in and missed the playoffs, they’re still contenders. Now, the Cavaliers are not part of the upper echelon of championship contenders in the Eastern Conference. Guess what? That’s perfectly alright because the Cavs are still a very young team.
Injuries were of course a major issue for the Cavaliers during the season. However, there were two problems that were bigger than the injuries that occurred throughout the season. The first problem is that Darius Garland and Collin Sexton can’t be the starting backcourt.
When Garland and Sexton were playing together, as well as when Sexton was on the court without Garland, the offense went stagnant. There were times throughout the season where it felt like Sexton was our version of James Harden (from when he played with the Houston Rockets). Sexton would just stand and dribble, and nobody else moved around to try and make a play, and for reference, this was more so the season prior, when Sexton was mostly healthy.
The second problem is that as of right now, the Cavs don’t have a starting small forward. When he wasn’t injured, there’s that word again, Lauri Markkanen was in that role. Markkanen is 7′ 0″, so he’s not your prototypical small forward. As a result, opponents were able to take advantage of the mismatch often.
The rest of the league has gone, to a large degree, in the direction of small-ball and has often prioritized spacing and players that can create from the perimeter themselves, so starting a 7′ 0″ guy at the small forward position doesn’t make sense.
Cleveland has a great core of players to build around. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen both made the NBA All-Star game while Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro were part of the Rising Stars game. Despite this, there are two trades that the Cavaliers should explore this offseason*.
*Neither trade involves Garland, Allen, or Mobley. Everyone else is fair game.
The first would involve the Utah Jazz.