Thus far, we’ve seen this Cleveland Cavaliers team have their ups and downs, which has included the group having an eight-game winning streak, and shortly thereafter, drop five straight contests. The Cavaliers since have appeared to get back on track, as they’ve won their past four games, en route to the Wine and Gold now having an 12-6 record.
All things considered, there’s plenty to be optimistic about as it pertains to this Cleveland team in the present, and for what lies ahead, though.
After they acquired Donovan Mitchell via trade from the Utah Jazz in the offseason, it was apparent that this Cavs team looked to be solidify themselves as a force in the Eastern Conference.
Now, as we’ve alluded to, the Cavaliers have had their inconsistencies, leading to both notable winning and losing streaks, but this team is still largely young, and they can grow from those sort of experiences. There’s lessons to be learned from both sides of the coin, in that realm, and over time, this group will be molded by those, and it’s a plus that they’ve seemed to come out of that slide playing with urgency.
Anyways, what is an overarching theme, generally, is that there’s a ton to be excited about as a Cavaliers fan this season, and for years to come, I firmly believe. This is a still young, but also ascending Cavs team, and we should be grateful for how this group has come together, and how they look poised to build on their play-in appearance last season.
So, given the Thanksgiving theme, it’s always nice to express what we’re thankful for, and as a Cavaliers fan, there’s a plethora of things that’d fit into that category about this club on the rise, too.
Here, we’ll emphasize four key things to be thankful for when it comes to these 2022-23 Cavaliers.
We’ll get right into those next, beginning with No. 4 in this case.
No. 4: When Ricky Rubio is back, he should give the Cavs a jolt
Last season, Ricky Rubio was outstanding in a bench role for the Cavaliers. Following his trade acquisition from the Minnesota Timberwolves before last season, Rubio far exceeded expectations in his appearances with the Wine and Gold.
He had 13.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds per contest with Cleveland, and his chemistry with both Darius Garland and Cleveland’s bigs led to plenty of quality looks throughout contests. Rubio’s veteran leadership, both in an on-floor and off-floor perspective, was invaluable for the Cavaliers, and his presence seemingly part of the reasoning for Garland’s emergence as an All-Star for Cleveland in 2021-22.
Nonetheless, it was a crushing blow to a young Wine and Gold team when Rubio was lost for the remainer of last season with a torn ACL in late December. That put more onus on Garland, and with Cleveland already down Collin Sexton (torn meniscus) at the time, the Cavs were not nearly the same team in the second half of last season.
With what he was able to provide for the Cavaliers, it was understandable for the team to have brought the veteran back in the offseason. Rubio’s then-expiring contract was dealt to the Indiana Pacers near the last trade deadline as part of the deal involving Caris LeVert, but the Cavs brought him back via three-year deal, and potentially in December, or feasibly in January, it seems, we could see Rubio out there again.
Obviously, when he is back, one has to be realistic as far as Rubio’s play for some time in coming off that injury; I’m well aware of that. Back in 2012 with Minnesota (his first go-round with them), Rubio tore that same ACL in his left knee, also, so it’s all the more reasonable to be patient, when he is back and available for Cleveland.
Still, with Rubio’s style of play, and with his passing vision, creativity, timing in hitting cutters, lob threats and shooters, and with his hit-ahead passes in transition, he could still give the Cavaliers a notable jolt this season upon his return. He’s long been one of the game’s best passers, has had 7.6 assists per game in his 12 seasons thus far, and with his IQ, length and team sense, he should still be an impact player on defense.
In due time, Cavaliers fans should see Rubio back in there giving the team energy once again, provided he does not have setbacks in his injury recovery.
No. 3: Dean Wade’s emergence
Dean Wade demonstrated growth in his second and third seasons with the Cavaliers, following his first season, when he was a two-way contributor that mostly played meaningful minutes with the Canton (now Cleveland Charge).
In the past two seasons prior to 2022-23, he showed that can be a more than viable forward defender, and do a capable job in his containment of opposing wings, and when the opportunities arose, he did competently as a catch-and-shoot player. For a guy that had minutes inconsistency in those seasons, Wade hitting 36.6 and then 35.9 percent of his three-point attempts in 2020-21 and 2021-22 was respectable, with his defensive help for the team, too.
Thus far this season, Wade has carried his quality play from last season forward as well. He’s connected on 18 of his 37 three-point shot attempts, (a 48.6 percent clip) and has had 7.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game.
Wade has done a nice job in his four spot starts for the Cavaliers, along with his fine play off the bench, and realistically, it’d be sensible for him to potentially be Cleveland’s full-time starter at the 3.
He had missed the Cavaliers past five contests prior to Wednesday’s victory against the Portland Trail Blazers because of knee soreness, but it was greate to see him back in there, even on a minutes restriction.
Generally, though, the emergence of Wade one of the Cavs’ best players, in terms of the two-way variety, has been one of the biggest takeaways from the season so far. It’s awesome to know that he was extended via three-year deal prior to the season, too, and when he’s back, it should be a lift for the Cavaliers.
No. 2: The Cavs frontcourt continuing to gel
For the third reason to be thankful about this 2022-23 squad, it seemed viable to go the frontcourt duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen continuing to gel.
With the frontcourt duo of Mobley and Allen, those two have proven themselves as the Cavaliers defensive anchors, and they’ve followed up their great play on that end by doing so for much of this season thus far. Those two are arguably the league’s best defensive frontcourt duo at the 4/5 with Mobley’s versatility, Allen’s ability to patrol the paint and contest without fouling much, and Allen himself has made strides as a switchable big.
There have been some tough stretches for the Cavaliers defensively, but when those two have been in, it’s made the duo all the more impactful with how they help one another, and it enables Cleveland perimeter players to have a bit more leeway to be aggressive. That’s still going to have some growing pains, in fairness, though in recent games, the off-ball perimeter play has aided the team.
As for the offensive end, Mobley’s skill level with his finishing, his IQ, driving and passing abilities have been on display for much of the season to this point, and he’s had a solid 14.9 points per outing through 18 games. In a number of more recent contests, he’s looked to be more assertive in getting to his desired spots, too, and his chemistry with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland has gotten better with each game.
In regards to Allen, he hasn’t started the season off quite as uber-efficient as he did last year, but he’s more than answered the bell as the year has worn on here, and after dealing with illness and then ankle soreness, he’s come back with a vengeance in this win streak. And similarly to his defensive chemistry with Mobley, Allen has seemingly improved his offensive play with Evan as well, and lately, those two have connected on big-to-big feeds, which one should look out for in upcoming games.
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!