2 realistic expectations for the Cavs’ bench in the 2022-23 season

Last season, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love came in second in the 6th Man of the Year race, winning 214 points, losing out to Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro. Kevin Love was one of the best Cavs players last season, being a great scorer and amazing veteran presence for the young squad in his shift to a bench role.

Next season, the Cavs probably will have a bench unit of Kevin Love, Collin Sexton/Caris LeVert, Ochai Agbaji, and others. This bench unit should be one of the league’s best benches, and has a good chance to have a 6th Man of the Year winner among the group.

Surprisingly, the Cavaliers’ bench scored 35.4 points per game, which ranked only 19th in the league. However, considering Kevin Love was the only consistent bench player to average over 13 points per game, it makes sense that the Cavs’ bench wasn’t very stellar.

But, next season, the Cavs’ bench should be even better. Like I mentioned, the Cavaliers have a good amount of solid players that are going to probably be coming off of the bench, so I expect big things for this group. Here are two realistic expectations for this group.

Realistic expectation No. 1: Be top 5 in bench scoring

Collin Sexton could potentially return on the qualifying offer for the Cavs next season, and he’s a certified bucket-getter. In his last healthy season, he averaged 24.3 points per game, also shooting a respectable 47.5% from the field and 37.1% from distance. Considering Sexton is only 6’1,” it’s terrific that he shot that well from the field.

Last season, Kevin Love averaged 13.6 points per game, while shooting 39.2% from 3. His playmaking is also an underrated asset for the Cavs, averaging 2.2 assists per game as a stretch big. He knows when to make the right pass, and it shows.

I’d think that Cleveland could be able to have their bench score over 38/39 points per game, and they should be able to be top 5 in the league with their bench scoring. Collin Sexton and Kevin Love aren’t the only quality bench scorers, either. Ochai Agbaji should be a quality scorer and shooter next season, and same with Dean Wade.

Realistic expectation No. 2: Be a great playmaking bench

Last season, the Cavs’ bench averaged 9.2 assists per game, which ranked 3rd in the league, only behind the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. Their turnovers were about average, ranking 13th at 5.1 turnovers per game. Ricky Rubio will probably be their bench point guard, and he’s a terrific playmaker, averaging 6.6 assists per game last season for the Cavs. However, he shouldn’t be playing anytime soon with his ACL tear which he got last season, and he’ll feasibly be back December/January.

Raul Neto, a recent free agency signing, will probably get some quality minutes as the backup 1 to Darius Garland. He averaged 3.1 assists per game last season, which is solid considering he only played 19.6 minutes per game. Neto also had a solid 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is very good, ranking 36th in the league overall.

Like I also mentioned earlier, Love is also a solid playmaker himself. His playmaking stats may not jump off a page for most people, but watching the games, he knows where to be and when to make the correct pass to his teammates.

Like I mentioned earlier, I do expect Cleveland’s bench to be very good next season, and should be one of the NBA’s best benches. Whether Sexton or LeVert are playing on the bench, I still expect great things from this unit.