The dream starting 5 for the Cleveland Cavaliers 5 years from now

The Cleveland Cavaliers are locked in the midst of a fight to the top of the Eastern Conference right now, and after a successful offseason they look ready to compete. The present for the Cavs is a lot of fun to watch.

Let’s take a moment and cast our eyes forward, however. What would the dream Cavaliers lineup look like in five years? At this point five years ago, in September of 2018, the paint wasn’t dry on LeBron’s new contract with the Lakers and the Cavs faced a rebuild. The starting 5 on opening night was George Hill, Rodney Hood, Kevin Love, Cedi Osman and Tristan Thompson; TT may be back in town, but everyone else is long gone.

By contrast, Darius Garland was an incoming freshman at Vanderbilt, Evan Mobley was a top high school prospect, and Max Strus was a rising senior at DePaul. Donovan Mitchell was coming off of an elite rookie season for the Utah Jazz and looked like a franchise pillar for a decade or more, while Jarrett Allen was ascending into the starting lineup of the Brooklyn Nets.

Looking into the future, could the Cavaliers look like a very different team five years from now? They absolutely could. Would that represent the best possible outcome? Perhaps not. Let’s lay out what the dream starting five would be for the Cavs in five years, starting with an All-NBA point guard.

The Cleveland Cavaliers hope that they have a point guard in Darius Garland who will be leading the team for the next decade. He has already made an All-Star Game and flashed both elite scoring upside (51 points in a game last season) and pinpoint passing accuracy, and as a 38.7 percent 3-point shooter for his career thus far has proven he can play alongside anyone.

In five years he will be 28 years old, and in our dream scenario coming off his fifth-straight All-Star season and third All-NBA selection. His shooting volume has only increased as one of the best sharpshooters in the league and he gladly signed a supermax contract to stay in Cleveland.