What The Ringer got right and very wrong in ranking Cavaliers

As much as it can be frustrating, everybody loves the occasional hot take on who’s better than who in the NBA. The complexity of professional basketball makes it increasingly difficult to fit any one player to a specific number or tier of talent. Every year, though, The Ringer undertakes the tumultuous task, and this year placed four Cleveland Cavaliers into the top 125 current NBA players.

Alongside each player is an in-depth analysis of their highs and lows and three badges of sorts that highlight the player’s skills and roles on the court. Though 125 players might seem to be a high number, meaning being placed on this list is nothing of excellence, it is worth noting that with 30 NBA teams and fifteen roster spots for each, 125 is only a fraction of the talent in the league. Additionally, with five starters per roster, equaling 150 in total, seeing four of your best players ranked within the top percentile of overall NBA talent is quite a milestone for a young team with high hopes.

Who ranked where?

While the Cavaliers enjoyed a near guarantee of seeing LeBron James at the top spot for many years, there is more uncertainty now as to where the young Cleveland core will be slotted.

Cleveland’s latest star player, Donovan Mitchell, ranked fifteenth in the league, just behind Portland star Damian Lillard and just above NBA Champion Jamal Murray. At only 26 years of age, MItchell’s inclusion in the league’s fifteen best players is quite the achievement, especially next to the second-best player on this year’s championship roster.

The 71-point man’s analysis was penned by The Ringer’s longtime member Kevin O’Connor. Mitchell received praise for his long-range shooting prowess.

"Mitchell can get scorching hot from the perimeter and has a series of pull-ups, side-steps, and stepbacks. – Kevin O’Connor"

His versatility on offense is coupled with his talent in the pick-and-roll, something the Cavaliers witnessed quite often over the course of the season. Additionally, O’Connor noted Mitchell’s return to defensive intensity after losing his grit in his final years on the Jazz.

Mitchell is only getting better, it seems, and on a team as young as Cleveland, that’s exactly what everyone should hope to see.

Where did Darius Garland rank among the NBA’s best players?

After Mitchell, there’s a gap until the next Cavalier is listed. Surprisingly, Darius Garland is not found until rank 35, listed behind Draymond Green (34), Tyrese Haliburton (32), Karl-Anthony Towns (31), and former Cleveland player Lauri Markkanen (28).

This is the first controversial ranking for a Cleveland player. After earning his first All-Star appearance last season, Garland continued his phenomenal growth in his year four campaign. Written by Rob Mahoney, Garland’s top-tier playmaking and shooting is the main focus of his full analysis.

"This is just Garland’s fourth season, and already he’s one of the NBA’s best long-range shooters and one of the league’s most sophisticated playmakers. – Rob Mahoney"

Averaging 21.6 points and 7.8 assists with a three-point accuracy of 41 percent, it is hard to imagine Darius Garland hardly entering the conversation of being in the top 40 NBA players. With no disrespect aimed at those placed above him, eleven other point guards were ranked higher than DG. It is difficult to find flaws in Garland’s offensive game already, and he served as the secondary leader to the fourth-best team in the Eastern Conference.

In terms of active point guards, the conversation for Garland should be whether he’s top five or only top seven at worst. Naming nearly a dozen point guards before Darius Garland feels like quite an underrated view of the former Vanderbilt Commodore.

Where did Evan Mobley rank among the NBA’s best players?

Directly after Garland is his own teammate, Evan Mobley as the 36th-best NBA player. With this year’s Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson, Jr. ranked only three spots higher at 33, Mobley’s position is in itself tremendous for somebody of his young age.

The 2022 No. 3 overall draft selection averaged 1.5 blocks, 16.2 points on 59.1 percent true shooting, and nine rebounds each night out. The Ringer’s Michael Pina suggested that “[Evan Mobley] may already be [Cleveland’s] most important player” – high praise for somebody who just finished their second season. Being named in the 2022-2023 NBA All-Defensive First Team has certainly catapulted Evan Mobley’s respect among NBA analysts, and rightfully so.

Mobley has drawn comparisons to numerous NBA defensive legends, including Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and current NBA international megastar Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo.

Though Mobley’s defense atop the NBA’s best, his offensive shortcomings will need to be addressed in order to find himself climbing the ladder of NBA rankings. This is surely possible, though, as Mobley constantly shows flashes of what his career will eventually be.

Only time will tell how far Mobley can go as a scorer and playmaker, but he has already eclipsed the rest of his draft class with his position at 36.

Where did Jarrett Allen rank among the NBA’s best players?

Rounding out the Cavaliers’ placements, Mobley’s partner in crime Jarrett Allen found himself as The Ringer’s 64th-best player. Allen just missed the top half of the list but still sits among other great centers. Namely, Allen was ranked only one spot below Indiana’s Myles Turner.

Similar to Mobley, Allen’s analysis gushed about his defensive prowess. His rank fell, though, due to writer J. Kyle Mann’s self-proclaimed hot take on Allen.

"If Allen weren’t surrounded by All-Star guards Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, it’d be fine to sag back and dare him to shoot in the mid range… That’s done a lot to enable the things Allen does well. – J. Kyle Mann"

Though this suggests that Allen’s talent hinges on who he is surrounded by, this is far from a true critique of the 2022 All-Star center. Seeing how Allen is enabled by Garland and Mitchell only speaks to the successful roster construction and overall fit the Cavaliers enjoy due to the efforts of their front office.

Jarrett Allen served a pivotal role in Cleveland’s league-leading defense with an average of 1.2 blocks and 9.8 rebounds per game, only then complimented by 14.3 points.

Though Allen’s toughness was tested severely in the postseason, his inclusion at 64th in this list suggests that keeping Allen and adding depth around the current four-man core of the Cavaliers is the right path forward.

Again, it is crucial to note that a list of 125 players does not even include every team’s starting lineup. For the Cavaliers to see each of their most consistent starters included speaks volumes for their bright future. All things come in time, and the Cavaliers are set up tremendously to compete for years to come, assuming they can continue to make the right off-season moves.

Next year, there may be a dramatic jump by one or more of the Cavaliers, especially for Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Eventually, either one (why not both?) could find themselves listed in the single digits of the top 125 NBA competitors.