Cavs might have to work the kinks out early, but they should be alright

It’s mid-September, and the 2022-23 NBA season is getting it here next month, and for the Cleveland Cavaliers, there was recently a sizeable shakeup within the roster outlook.

Cleveland’s trade to acquire Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz early this month led to the exchange of Collin Sexton (via sign-and-trade), Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, three first-round picks and two pick swaps going to Utah.

That was one of the biggest moves of the 2022 offseason, and from Cleveland’s perspective, they went for it, and the 26-year-old is inserted into one of the most promising young cores in the Association. He’ll join Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen as the four franchise pillars for the Cavaliers looking onward.

Objectively, though, I could foresee things being somewhat up-and-down early on; despite that, the club should be just fine.

The Cavs could have to work out some kinks early, but they should be alright.

Cleveland’s schedule is a bit of a mixed bag in the first quarter or so of the season, with some bonafide contenders in there, young clubs and likely postseason teams.

There’s often some surprise outcomes in early-season play, in fairness. Even still, it’s probably reasonable to think it’ll take some time for the Cavaliers to get their barrings overall, with the Mitchell acquisition and we’ll have to see who ends up beginning the season at the starting 3 spot for the team.

In that realm, Isaac Okoro and seemingly Caris LeVert could factor in, but I’d rather the Cavaliers go with Dean Wade, personally, provided another trade is not made for a more proven starting 3, for instance. Either way, one would assume the Cavs could have some rust generally speaking, with the recent alterations, most notably, involving the trade arrival of the aforementioned Mitchell.

Make no mistake, we know how Mitchell should be a big-time player for Cleveland, given his offensive talent level. He’s one of the elite bucket-getters in the league, an All-Star the past three seasons with the Jazz, and along with Garland, Mitchell gives the Cavs another great pick-and-roll option.

Mitchell’s three-point shooting, and multifaceted on-ball abilities give the Cavaliers another element, and he should aid in taking some playmaking burden off of Garland, especially until Ricky Rubio is back, which could be in December/January feasibly. Mitchell, had 5.3 assists per outing last season with Utah in a combo guard-type role that he’ll have going forward with Cleveland also.

Granted, for the rotation overall, the Cavs and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff are going to need some time to figure out what groups play well together, how guys such as Kevin Love and Caris LeVert, if LeVert sticks around, get into a rhythm in games. Love is a player that I believe should mesh well with Mitchell, though, as an aside, and in some stretches, Raul Neto can aid Love as a shooter to some degree.

Defensively, it’s again uncertain who will start at the 3 position, and the off-ball viability there in playing off of Garland, Mitchell and Mobley, in my opinion, should be prioritized. Lamar Stevens would appear to be a long shot in that regard to start there, but for his defense and with how he can provide a driving presence, he’s a player that should have a clear argument for at least situational minutes, too.

So, while I could see the Cavs stumbling a bit out of the gates and it’ll take time to get some of the club’s kinks out and to incorporate Mitchell into the fold, the Wine and Gold should realistically be fine in the grand scheme.

Defensively and how the bench shakes out again are two key things to keep an eye on early, however, with Mobley, Allen, and guys such as Wade, Okoro and Stevens, the team should be able to figure it out. That’s also based on the defensive success the Cavs had for much of last season prior to being very injury-riddled.