Last season, Kevin Love finished in 2nd place in the 6th Man of the Year race, ultimately losing out to the Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro. However, that was a sign of Love’s resurgence, as the past few seasons, his production and value has plummeted, seemingly. Now, he’s one of the most valuable locker room presences and arguably the 5th-best player on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now, the Cavs have a star-studded roster, on paper. I keep mentioning in each of my articles, but the Cavs do have 3 All-Stars from last season, and Evan Mobley does look like an All-Star talent in the making. Will anyone on the Cavs win MVP? Personally, I doubt it, but it’s not literally impossible. I’ve seen harder things happen. For example, Marc Gasol won DPOY in 2013, while being on the All-Defensive Second Team.
With the newest addition of Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers should be a force to be reckoned with in the NBA. J.B. Bickerstaff proved last season that he was a very solid head coach, ranking 5th in the Coach of the Year race. Ultimately, I think Bickerstaff does have a solid chance of getting the award, as he ultimately helped the Cavs rank 5th in defense last season.
Last season, Evan Mobley already earned All-Defensive Team votes, and personally, I believed he should’ve made All-Defensive Second Team. Maybe I am biased, but his defense was definitely top 10 in the league, in my eyes.
Anyway, without further ado, here are the Cavaliers who have the best chance of winning each respective NBA award in the 2022-23 season.
6th Man of the Year – Kevin Love
I don’t believe this prediction should be ground-breaking. Like I said, he already came in 2nd place in the voting for this award last season. Also, I believe Tyler Herro should’ve been a starter on the Heat last season, and Love, even with all he has done, didn’t deserve to be the starting power forward over Evan Mobley last season. Either way, Love shouldn’t regress substantially enough for him not to be mentioned in this award race next season.
Will he win this award? To be honest, I don’t think so. There are many amazing 6th men in the league. For example, Jordan Poole (my prediction), Malcolm Brogdon, Norman Powell, Christian Wood, and Bones Hyland all have a solid shot of winning this award, and this award race should be tighter than it has been in recent years.
Rookie of the Year – Isaiah Mobley
I won’t spend too long talking about this pick, as Mobley is literally the only rookie on this roster, as of now, and a two-way player currently. Does he have a shot of winning this award? Nothing against Isaiah Mobley, but I’d think that considering he is on a two-way contract, he has a very small chance of making an All-Rookie team, let alone Rookie of the Year.
When Mobley was drafted, I was a bit surprised. I like the pick now, but at the time, I wanted JD Davison or Kendall Brown (who was picked one spot before Mobley). However, I do think he should do well in both the G-League and NBA.
Defensive Player of the Year – Evan Mobley
Like I already mentioned, Mobley earned some All-Defensive team votes last season, which is tremendous, and is a really amazing thing when you consider he was only a rookie. His perimeter defense was solid for a player who is 6’11.” Also, he’s already one of the league’s best rim protectors, averaging 1.7 blocks per game, and had a tremendous 107.3 defensive rating last season.
Many people have proclaimed Mobley to be the next best two-way big, and his playmaking isn’t bad either. But his defense is already elite, and next year, he has a solid shot of making an All-Defensive team, if he plays enough games.
Most Improved Player – Isaac Okoro
Isaac Okoro is in line, in my opinion, for a great year, and has the chance to develop into something special. Like I mentioned in another article, I think Okoro will be a solid shooter from distance this season. His defense has always been there, and his finishing is solid, too. I don’t think he’ll average over 15 points per game, but you never know. Considering the amount of scoring threats the Cavaliers have, I’m not sure how many points Okoro will score.
Do I think he’ll win MIP? Probably not. This award is one of the most difficult awards to predict. Last season, I thought Nickeil Alexander-Walker was going to improve a lot, and I wasn’t right. This year, Devin Vassell is my pick. Write it down. I may not be right, but I do think his improvement will be substantial. Anyway, Okoro does have something special brewing for this season, and I’m excited to see it.
MVP – Donovan Mitchell
If you have Darius Garland over Donovan Mitchell in your own personal prediction, I won’t judge you. They’re both very talented, and both have a chance to be the Cavs’ best player next season.
That said, Mitchell has a longer track record of being one of the league’s most offensively gifted players, and he’s only 6’1”. If Cleveland is one of the league’s best teams, and Mitchell can not be a net negative on defense, he actually has a chance to win MVP, or make an All-NBA team.
My MVP prediction is Luka Doncic, since he practically carries his Dallas Mavericks squad to a top seed, without even having another All-Star caliber teammate (sorry, Mavs fans). I do think Mitchell has a shot to make an All-NBA team, depending on how Cleveland plays as a team next season.
Will the Cavs win any awards for their players? Maybe, but that remains to be seen.