5 Cleveland Cavaliers with the most to prove in 2023-24 season
Most to Prove No. 1: J.B. Bickerstaff
J.B. Bickerstaff has been very successful as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. After his first full season as coach netted only 22 wins, the Cavs doubled their win total the next season and broke the 50-win barrier last year, fielding the league’s No. 1 defense and boasting the second-best net rating in the entire NBA.
On the other hand, Bickerstaff and the Cavs lost in a demoralizing five games in the playoffs as the favored team. The Cavaliers may have been getting their first playoff experience as a group, but they were still punked by the New York Knicks. Bickerstaff tried mashing buttons and none of them worked.
This season the same core is back, but this time they’ve added three new shooters to the mix. Bickerstaff has more optionality with his lineups and more offensive weaponry. It’s up to him to show he can introduce creative offensive sets to balance his proven defensive guidance and lineup wizardry. Ultimately, he has to prove he can make the right adjustments in a playoff series to elevate his team.
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If he fails to do so, Bickerstaff will likely be replaced next summer. The Cavaliers will hope to follow the model of many teams before them, firing the coach who “got them there” and hiring the guy to get them the rest of the way. Bickerstaff needs to prove he is both.