With 42 down and 40 to go, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a record of 26-16 through just past the halfway point of the 2022-23 NBA season. The team currently has the seventh-best record in the NBA, sitting fifth overall in the Eastern Conference, and second in the Central Division right behind the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks.
After the Wine and Gold started the season off with a loss to the Toronto Raptors, nobody expected the Cavaliers to turn around and put the league on notice with eight straight wins. I’d say acquiring a guy from the Utah Jazz this past offseason might have had something to do with the Cavaliers’ exceptional first half performance.
Early in September, the Cavaliers collected Donovan Mitchell via trade with the Jazz for a chunk of draft picks, multiple pick swaps, Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, and last year’s first-round draft pick, Ochai Agbaji. Recently spoiled with one of the greatest performances of all time, Spida put on a show for Cavalier fans in attendance at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse two days into the New Year. He had a career-high 71 points in an overtime thriller against the Chicago Bulls.
It’s been far from a one-man show, though.
We’ve seen it firsthand in Cleveland. One man putting a city on his back, wrecking the team’s way to the playoffs year after year. But, this team is far from a one-man show and the play speaks for itself.
So, who’s been the second-best player on this 2022-23 Cavs team, then?
It’s a young core with their fair share of veterans full of talented offensive playmakers, hard-nosed defenders, and as one would say, absolute dogs. With that in mind, we’ll start examining the possibilities.