Despite winning their season opener, the Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a distressing 3-4 record over the first seven games.
With two back-to-backs in their first five games and a multitude of injuries, a slow start seemed to be destiny fulfilled this year. Additionally, shifting the roster composition to a 3-point centric playstyle would have its own bumps along the way. Georges Niang missed every long range attempt in his first three games with Cleveland, but he is slowly coming into form.
Over the past week, the Cavaliers split a two-game miniseries against the New York Knicks, lost their first In-Season Tournament game against the Indiana Pacers (putting the Cavaliers down 0-2 against the Pacers this season) and defeated their longstanding rival Golden State Warriors in what was the first dominant performance for this new-look Cavs team.
The Cavaliers are finally healthy
Sunday’s 115-104 home win for the Cavaliers was the first example of the dangerous team they can be. Though Isaac Okoro and Ty Jerome were unavailable, the Cavs maintained their strength with a healthy starting five and had phenomenal ball movement. The Cavaliers have become selfless, always choosing the extra pass on the perimeter rather than a rushed attempt. This had given the Cavs a versatile offense, forcing defenses to chase their young athletic roster around numerous screens and shifty passes.
The offensive changes have yet to stagnate Cleveland’s defense. A concern entering the season was the team’s prioritization of offense over defense after having the league’s best defense last season. Through seven games, the Cavaliers currently have a 109.9 defensive rating, the exact same as the season prior. This has placed Cleveland only 11th in defensive rating across the Association, but as time goes on the consistency in the Cavaliers’ defense may push them back into the top five once again.
As always, every week of action has certain players who step up and add another dynamic element that lead to the team’s successes. These three players gave the Cavaliers an extra boost that propelled them to a 2-2 record this week, in spite of the inconsistent health and growing pains on offense.
Every week, we will award three Cavs with “Crowley’s Crowns”, highlighting their extra efforts and next-man-up mentality.
Cleveland went all-in by acquiring Donovan Mitchell in a late offseason trade last year, hoping that the perennial All-Star could uplift this budding roster into a contender. Though it did not pan out in the first postseason, Mitchell has been nothing short of astounding since joining the Cavs. His first season was also the best of his career with career highs in points and efficiency, leading to his first All-NBA Team selection.
This year, Mitchell has started where he left off and improved upon it. Mitchell scored at least 30 points in three of Cleveland’s four contests this week, including a near double-double against the Pacers with 38 points and nine assists. In Cleveland’s win against the Knicks, Donovan Mitchell silenced a boisterous Madison Square Garden crowd, scorching the Knicks from deep, hitting six-of-15 3-point attempts to end the night with 30 points.
Not only has Mitchell’s offense impressed, but his defensive commitment may be the best of his professional career. Averaging over 2 steals per game, Mitchell has been unafraid to muscle through screens or jump into the passing lane. Undoubtedly, Mitchell has been the engine behind the Cavaliers to start the season.
The Cavaliers had a desperate slate of games with Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Ty Jerome injured. This forced Cleveland to trust in their two-way players to hop into the rotation. Both Craig Porter Jr. and Emoni Bates accepted the responsibility and were confident regardless of the sudden change.
While Porter helped fill the Cavaliers’ depleted backcourt rotation and deserves appreciation for that, every moment Bates spends on an NBA court will be under a microscope from both his supporters and detractors this season. In 23 minutes, Bates scored nine points and shot two-of-five from deep. When the Cavaliers drafted the former top prospect in the late second round, all eyes focused on Bates’ ability to transfer his natural scoring talents to the NBA. His slender frame and poor defense left plenty of people speculating as to his actual value in the Association. While he is not in the nightly rotation, Bates has already proven he will be able to build himself into a reliable NBA player if he continues his trajectory from Summer League and preseason.
Returning to his first team, Tristan Thompson signed a one-year deal with the Cavaliers as a backup center. It was assumed that Thompson would be behind Jarrett Allen and Damian Jones in J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation, but after seven games Thompson seems to have secured a spot as the go-to option for the second unit’s frontcourt.
Thompson has appeared in five games thus far and has grabbed five rebounds in three of those games. Though he has not scored in bunches, Thompson’s presence in the paint has punished poor defense with a unique post skillset full of baby hooks and powerful moves to the basket. Thompson has been an on-court leader, paving the way for Cleveland’s young backcourt to embrace the physicality required to be a dominant big man. His veteran leadership has provided the Cavs with a needed boost to their frontcourt both through action and voice.
Thompson came to Cleveland to lead the team, and that has seemed to rub off on Evan Mobley who has had double-digit rebounds in almost every game this season. Thompson might have been the most underrated pickup of the offseason across the league, considering the value he has provided on a minimum contract.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a few days of rest after their Warriors match, playing the Oklahoma City Thunder next on Nov. 8 at 8 pm ET. That game is the first in a four-game Western road trip until they host the Detroit Pistons at home for the In-Season Tournament on Nov. 17.
On their road trip, the Cavaliers will face off against the Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trail Blazers. The Cavaliers have already played one game against the Thunder and Warriors each, leaving both the Kings and Trail Blazers games to be the first opportunity to see how these teams match up after a busy offseason.
The Kings were one of the few teams to make very few moves this summer, opting to spend their available cap space to retain veteran forward Harrison Barnes and bank on internal growth with a mix of young talent and proven star power in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. The Cavs failed to beat the Kings either meeting last season, making this road game the most intriguing of the Western Conference trip.
Additionally, these two teams are uniquely opposite to each other yet similar simultaneously. Like the Cavs, their most dynamic weapon is the connection between backcourt and frontcourt stars. While Cleveland emphasizes their defensive identity above all else, the Kings heavily favor their fast-paced offense over defense. Although the Cavaliers said they plan to up their pace this season, they are still built to play slow and grind out a win, unlike the Kings. Both teams reached the playoffs with homecourt advantage in 2023 but fell short in the first round. With much to prove this regular season, both teams will look to compete every game and build toward a better postseason in 2024.
Individually, Evan Mobley’s continued development as a multi-faceted big will be worth monitoring this week. His offense is improving, but the scoring consistency is lagging behind. Given time, he may come into his own now that the starting roster will hopefully remain healthy.