4 things Cavaliers fans should be thankful for regarding 2022-23 squad

No. 1: Cleveland’s All-Star backcourt

Lastly, for No. 1, it’s debatable, but I had to go with the All-Star pairing here.

The Darius Garland-Donovan Mitchell backcourt pairing is still establishing chemistry with one another, and with the multi-faceted skill set of both of those players, that was going to be the expectation for a while. Even still, there have been promising signs from the two and how they could feed off one another, and we’ve seen both have their share of stud moments for Cleveland.

Currently, Garland has had 23.9 points and 8.2 assists per game for the Cavaliers, and Mitchell has had 30.1 points, 5.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per contest so far in his first season with the Wine and Gold following his offseason trade acquisition from the Utah Jazz.

Garland did have a slow start to the season, as he was finding his footing following him sustaining an eye laceration in the season opener, and he missed a game due to a knee sprain and was enduring sickness not too long ago. But, to his credit, he’s responded in a big way, and has been instrumental in Cleveland’s four-game winning streak.

From there, as we touched on, Mitchell has been big-time thus far for the Cavaliers, and has come up with his share of huge shots this season already. He’s continually shown his three-level scoring abilities, has connected on 41.0 percent from three-point range, and looks to be bought-in defensively, which has been very promising, considering his play slid there in recent prior seasons with Utah, as his usage steadily increased.

Mitchell has shown he’s capable on that end of the floor so far, which has really paid off, and his playmaking has exceeded expectations, whether he’s in a combo guard role, or has filled in as a de facto lead guard with Garland not in there with him.

There will still be some growing pains, and the Cavaliers need to be more consistent in their closing of games, but looking onward, Cleveland’s All-Star backcourt has been lighting it up recently, and with more time together, their chemistry should gradually improve. The other guys on the floor with them are seemingly finding their way in meshing with that duo, too.

In any case, there are plenty of reasons to be thankful, and this Cavaliers team is undoubtedly going to be a factor for years to come as an emerging contender.

So, last but not least, from all of us here at KJG, we hope all of you Cavs fans have a safe and amazing Thanksgiving!