3 ways Cavs will prove ESPN Insider’s pessimism wrong

Prior to every NBA season, one of the best pieces looking at the entire league is Zach Lowe’s NBA tiers article (subscription required). The ESPN Insider breaks down the entire league into tiers, from contenders to tankers. This year, for the first time in a while, the Cleveland Cavaliers were in the mix to land in one of the top tiers in Lowe’s exercise.

Yet that’s not what happened, as Lowe placed the Cavs in the East play-in mix, which suggests a finish no higher than seventh in the Eastern Conference. As usual, he explained his reasoning, which is sound and thoughtful: that the Cavs have new puzzles to solve, question marks about depth, and could take a step back on defense.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were ranked below other East playoff teams by an ESPN Insider. Here is how the Cavs will prove that pessimism wrong this season

These are real question marks surrounding the team, but they aren’t questions without answers. What Lowe has done is skew conservative in his predictions; it’s safe to hang back on the Cavs until they “prove it” to the rest of the league. Yet that misses just what Cleveland has already proven, and what they have the potential to do.

It’s incredibly possible that the Cavs finish seventh or eighth this season; there are a lot of good teams in the East, and someone has to be at the back of the line, even if everyone in that line is strong. Yet to draw a line between the Cavs and teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors is wrong. Let’s unpack why the Cavs will prove Lowe and many others wrong in their hesitation and pessimism for this season.