When the Cavaliers acquired Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz in a blockbuster trade in the beginning of September, most around the NBA were excited to see what he could bring to an already talented, young roster. Somehow, Koby Altman and Mike Gansey had acquired Mitchell without giving up Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Cleveland had added another All-Star to the mix, and the excitement around the start of the season was mounting, as every basketball fan wanted to see how the four young stars would play with each other.
Fast forward to last night when the Cavs took on another Eastern Conference contender in the Toronto Raptors in the season opener for both teams. Cleveland battled all night, and Donovan Mitchell looked comfortable in his first game with the Cavaliers. However, the Raptors hung on in the end, claiming a 108-105 win. The real story of the game became not the score, but the injury to star point guard Darius Garland.
The new-look Cleveland Cavaliers debuted in the season opener on Wednesday night, a close loss to the Toronto Raptors marred by Darius Garland’s injury
With nine minutes to go in the first half, Gary Trent Jr. tried to steal an inbound pass to Darius Garland but ended up poking him in the eye. We can talk about that no-call at another time, but after the injury, Garland was taken to the locker room and didn’t return to the game. His status is up in the air for the Cavs’ next game versus the Chicago Bulls.
#Cavs Darius Garland (eye) did not practice with the team today. He was back at the hotel. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland’s left eye is swollen closed and the team is currently preparing as if Garland won’t play against Chicago. However his official playing status is unclear
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) October 20, 2022
Overall, it was a good effort by the Cavs without their point guard. Making matters even worse, Ricky Rubio won’t return from injury for at least another two months. However, Mitchell was great, finishing with 31 points to lead the Cavaliers. The twin towers of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen were a bit disappointing but, it’s only game number one. Before we head full throttle into tomorrow night’s game, let’s see who played well for the Cavaliers, and who needs to improve if the Cavaliers really want to be taken seriously.
Stud: Cedi Osman
With so much mystery surrounding the Cavaliers’ starting small forward, it was a bit of a surprise to me when Caris LeVert was announced as the starter. LeVert was okay last night, scoring 10 points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field. We still have all the reason in the world to believe that starting spot might be a rotating door this season, but one man made a clear case last night.
Cedi Osman was the best Cavalier on the court last night not named Donovan Mitchell. The smooth shooting Turkish forward finished with 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-6 from deep. The moment he came off the bench he was an Energizer Bunny for the Cavs, knocking down shot after shot.
Osman had a quiet offseason and I don’t think fans really expected a ton from him this season. However, with Garland sidelined, he essentially filled his role. With the way the offensive game is played now in the NBA, you need to have guys that can step up and just score. Osman proved that last night, and we saw glimpses of it last year as well. With that being said, hopefully he can keep up at this pace all season, or at least until Garland makes his way back to the court.
Dud: Evan Mobley
Last night’s game almost seems like a microcosm for the 2022 Rookie of the Year Award. Evan Mobley was aggressive early, knocking down a three-pointer for the Cavaliers’ first basket of the 2022-2023 season. However, overall it was a bit of a stinker from the second-year player out of USC. He was aggressive at times but also was a bit careless with the ball, giving the ball up three times.
On top of that, he only had one block on the night and finished with a measly six rebounds. I know it will take time for Mobley to grow, and this is likely just an unlucky start to the season. With that being said, Pascal Siakam and Barnes made Mobley’s night pretty difficult, hitting jumpers over his out-stretched arms, and hitting the glass hard.
Overall it looks as though Mobley has bulked up a bit from last season, and he should be better in the next couple of games and moving forward. Yet even so, if you are keeping track at home this was a win for Scottie Barnes and his fans. Mobley had the worst +/- on the team, and didn’t affect as many shots as he would have liked. The hope is that he comes out ready to play against the Bulls.
Overall, there isn’t a whole lot to take away from this game. Without Garland for 3 quarters, the Cavs just aren’t the same, and don’t mesh as well without him. Like Chris Fedor said in the above tweet, we’ll see when he makes his return to the court, but likely it’s soon. Hopefully he’s back shortly so we can get a real look at how good the Cavs can be this season.