Strengths for the Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are a top-notch defensive team, as they had the best defensive rating in the whole NBA last season. This combined with having one of the best starting lineups in the NBA makes for a really competitive and talented squad.
They have a quality head coach, too, as J.B. Bickerstaff has been a top Coach of the Year candidate for the past two seasons. The team has a really nice chemistry, and having a coach that will always have his players’ backs is good for the Cavs and the morale of the team.
The saying that “defense wins championships” is not a fake statement. If a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers can improve enough on offense, as well as not having a substantial drop-off on the defensive side, they would have a legit case to be considered a true contender.
The Cavaliers had the second-highest point differential, only trailing the Boston Celtics last season. Cleveland had a point differential of plus-4.8 last season, which was higher than the eventual NBA Champions in the Denver Nuggets.
One of the multiple reasons the Cavaliers lost in the first round last season was just simply inexperience. Both Evan Mobley and Darius Garland had never played in an NBA playoff game up until this now-past April, so there is reason to believe Garland and Mobley, as well as the Cavs as a whole, will be better next time they’re in the playoffs.
The Cavaliers had a solid regular season last year, and now should be even better next season. There is still a ton of room to grow as a team, but there should be reason to believe they could make a better playoff push, as well as have more wins as a team in the regular season.
If Cleveland can try to hone in on their weaknesses, as well as play to their strengths, they’ll be a tough team to play against next season.