3 ways Cavs will prove ESPN Insider’s pessimism wrong

How Cavs prove ESPN Insider’s pessimism wrong:  Sky-high upside

A major part of Lowe’s case to rank the Cavs a tier lower than the other East playoff teams is based on their downside. He discusses potential weaknesses in the defense and how the bench could be a problem. We’ll get to that in a moment. What Lowe never mentions is the enormous upside the Cavs boast this year.

No team in the Eastern Conference added a player of the caliber of Donovan Mitchell. Dejounte Murray made the All-Star Team last season but no one outside of San Antonio and Atlanta thinks he is a top-30 player. Mitchell absolutely is. He joins a team that had the point differential of a 46-win team last season and was one of the better teams to miss the playoffs in the last decade.

Darius Garland has taken massive leaps forward in each of the last two seasons. Evan Mobley looks poised to develop even further toward his massive two-way ceiling. Mitchell and Jarrett Allen are still young enough to expect improvement this season. The four stars on this team all have incredible growth potential.

There is some downside for the Cavs as they add Mitchell to the mix, yes, but there is also an amazing upside. Cleveland will roll out the best backcourt in the Eastern Conference and the best 4-5 combination; that’s a nasty 1-2 punch. If things come together (we haven’t even mentioned Isaac Okoro and his potential) the Cavs could shoot up the standings. The median point of their upside and downside is no lower than other teams in the East playoff tier, where the Cavs belong.