After a disappointing finish to last season, the 2023-2024 NBA season is going to be a crucial one for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Due to their accelerated rebuild, the franchise has huge expectations for the first time since LeBron James skipped town for the second time five years ago. Last season was all about growth and progression, and the Cavs accomplished those two things.
They won 50 games, clinched a top four seed in the Eastern Conference, and ended a five-year playoff drought. Unfortunately, to quote center Jarrett Allen, who had prior playoff experience, the lights were “brighter than expected” even for him, in the playoffs. They flamed out faster than a bad musical on Broadway against the New York Knicks in five games. It was a tough pill to swallow in a season that was highly successful for the most part.
Now, this season the Cavs have to progress from that failure and reach new heights. If they don’t the team will look A LOT different next season.
Fortunately, the Eastern Conference is as wide open as it has ever been, and the Cavs have a real chance to make some serious noise and put the league on notice. Here are my three bold predictions for the Cavs this season.
No. 1: The Cavs will have three All-Stars
The Cavs’ only All-Star last season was All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell, and they arguably should have had two, as guard Darius Garland’s numbers were very similar to his All-Star campaign in 2022. However, I expect the Cavs to send three representatives to the All-Star Game this year, with Garland and Evan Mobley joining Mitchell.
The case for Mitchell is a simple one: he is a borderline top 10 player in the league and is coming off the best season of his career. He has been named an All-Star four years in a row and I do not expect that to change this year, as he has something to prove after a lackluster postseason performance.
As for Garland, he was the only player in the league last season to average 20 plus points, seven plus assists, and shoot over 40% from three. He has become one of the elite playmakers in the NBA, and one of the best guards in the Eastern Conference. He has improved every season of his career and I expect him to take another huge stride this season.
As for Mobley, he is only 22 years old, and has asserted himself as one of the best defenders in the NBA. This past season, he became the youngest finalist ever for Defensive Player of the Year, and was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team. He also increased his points per game, and field goal percentage last season. From January to March, Mobley showed flashes of what he can be offensively, as he averaged 18 points per game during that period. I believe he will continue to develop his offensive game, and along with his already elite-level defense, I expect him to be the Cavs’ third All-Star this coming season.
However, that is not my only bold prediction involving Mobley…
No. 2: Evan Mobley will win Defensive Player of the Year
As I mentioned, Mobley was the youngest finalist ever for Defensive Player of the Year. The fact that he has established himself as one of the best rim protectors in the NBA at such a young age is nothing short of astounding. The Cavs do not finish first in the league in defense without his daunting presence at the rim.
Mobley was first in contested threes, third in contested shots, 10th in blocks, and opponents shot a paltry 42 percent from the field against him during the regular season. Despite a playoff series where he underwhelmed offensively, Mobley’s defense translated very well, and he showed that his elite defensive prowess was no fluke. This can be seen in Knicks forward Julius Randle’s stats against Mobley in their playoff matchup.
Randle shot 11-of-43 shooting (25.6 percent), three-of-19 from three (15.8 percent) and had seven turnovers when Mobley was matched up against him. This was a far cry from Randle’s regular season performance, where he shot 45 percent from the field, and 34 percent from three-point range. Randle was dealing with an ankle injury, but Mobley’s success against him was evident throughout, and that didn’t diminish Mobley’s great positioning and active hands.
Mobley is only going to continue to evolve defensively, and in an offseason where his focus has been on the weight room, I expect him to be even more stout defensively, and lead to his first of many Defensive Player of the Year trophies.
No. 3: The Cavs will make the Eastern Conference Finals
The theme for the Cavs this season: no excuses. They have everything they need to compete for a championship, and I believe this year is where they take a significant step in doing so.
First of all, they solved the wing spot issue they had all of last season by signing Max Strus and Georges Niang, adding to a group that features Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro. These four should complement the Core Four very well.
Secondly, the Eastern Conference is wide open once again. The Boston Celtics are expected to finish near the top, but their big time acquisition Kristaps Porzingis is already battling an injury and the season hasn’t started. On top of that, they lost their heart and soul in Marcus Smart. After them is probably the Milwaukee Bucks, who did not make any major changes to an aging roster, and will have to deal with the noise of Giannis Antetokounmpo leaving in the next year or so if they don’t make any progress this season.
As for teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat, who are playing a game of chicken with two All-Stars, they face a lot of uncertainty as their rosters haven’t changed and they have their own question marks to deal with. The time is now for the Cavs to take advantage of turmoil at the top. I believe they will finish as the third seed in the conference, behind the Celtics and Bucks, and make a run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
This team has a chip on its shoulder after the way they got pushed around in last year’s postseason. That junkyard dog mentality will reach peak levels this season, as everyone in Cleveland is hungry for success without the kid from Akron.
This is the Cavaliers’ chance to show the NBA what they are made of. What they do with that chance remains to be seen, but I believe they will get it done.
With tip off about a month-and-a-half away, we shall see if my belief becomes reality.