The Cavaliers look like a Top 3 team in the Eastern Conference
By Gage Morgan
The younger Cavaliers are better off than some older Eastern teams
I believe the Cavs are going to be better than the 76ers due to the 76ers being too top heavy and struggling with defense. If Joel Embiid gets injured, the 76ers will struggle to stay consistent on defense and in the post. James Harden is not only known for not being very capable on defense, but also disappearing in important moments. I don’t believe James Harden and Tyrese Maxey will be able to handle Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, either.
On the Jazz, Mitchell has shown that he can carry a team on offense. Darius Garland so far is the best backcourt teammate he has had. Yes, defense is a question for both backcourts, but the Cavaliers have the better backcourt due to the talent. Embiid was able to beat both Allen and Mobley last season, but things are different now. Mobley and Allen have shown improvement, but Embiid’s motivation has seemed to change.
Plus, the Cavs also play more team basketball than focusing on star power. The Sixers rely on their stars almost too much, and if they get injured, they’ll start to falter. The Cavaliers are used to dealing with injury and are able to plug in bench guys when needed, by comparison. And lastly, the Cavs have much better pace and speed than the 76ers, to aid them in getting run-outs and easy looks.
The Heat are below the Cavs because they haven’t made any improvements and they are only getting older. Don’t get me wrong, Jimmy Butler is amazing, but he needs more help. Bam Adebayo shows flashes here and there, but he hasn’t been better since the bubble. Kyle Lowry isn’t helping either and he just keeps getting older. Butler can’t do it on his own. The East got better, but the Heat didn’t.
In that realm, Jimmy is only one guy, and he can’t guard Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland at the same time. Adebayo can’t do it with Mobley and Allen either. If they want to compete in the East, the Heat have to get better players.
The Nets are the biggest unknown this season. The Cavs’ might struggle guarding Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but the Nets have struggled a lot defensively too. Teams have found ways to get around Ben Simmons, and the Nets’ interior defense has been rough. The Cavaliers have an opportunity to run circles around the Nets. Even if the Nets could lock down Mitchell and Garland, they still have to deal with Mobley and Allen, not to mention the bench. The Nets on paper could be a Top 3 Seed, but they also could be a Play-In club.
The Chicago Bulls are currently dealing with injuries with Lonzo Ball. By losing him, their backcourt defense struggles a lot. Alex Caruso could start, but Zach LaVine isn’t a strong defender, and Nikola Vucevic isn’t a great defender inside. DeMar DeRozan has proved that he can play defense, but the rest of the team struggles. These reasons will make the Cavs a hard team for the Bulls to get passed.
The two teams that the Cavs are often compared to are the Atlanta Hawks and the Toronto Raptors, and we’ll examine the outlook of those squads in relation to the Cavaliers next.