Though the Cleveland Cavaliers had a fantastic regular season in 2022-23, their playoffs performance created a number of questions.
The offseason seemingly fulfilled their need for improved long range shooting with Max Strus and Georges Niang. Both players were in the highest percentiles of corner 3-point percentage, with Strus in the 80th and Niang in the 98th, via Cleaning the Glass (subscription required).
Cleveland also re-signed Caris LeVert for the next two seasons after both parties expressed interest in extending LeVert’s tenure with the Cavs. Over last season, LeVert embraced a myriad of roles on the team, which caused a level of inconsistency. He still managed to be one of Cleveland’s most consistent players, especially in the playoffs.
Additionally, the Cavs signed combo guard Ty Jerome on a two-year, $5 million deal and traded for Utah’s athletic center Damian Jones. Neither player seems likely to be locked into Cleveland’s rotation on opening night, but their presence and availability will offer the Cavs better depth than they experienced last season.
With such an active offseason, the Cavaliers should be even better than they were last season. At the start of the 2022-23 season, ESPN ranked the Cavs 17th in the NBA. In their most recent power ranking, Cleveland broke into the top 10 with the ninth spot.
After a 51-31 record last year with a developing young core, the Cavaliers are nearing true NBA Finals contention. Though everything suggests Cleveland will be an incredible roster to watch this year, they are far from a perfect roster.
Regardless of their improvements, they will have a number of questions to answer and things to prove for both their new additions and returning talent.
We’ll emphasize the Cavaliers’ three biggest question marks going into the 2023-24 season.
Without further ado, let’s begin.