As the Cleveland Cavaliers blaze through the Eastern Conference to a top seed in the playoffs, they have stacked up plenty of accomplishments and accolades.
After a dramatic defeat over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Cavaliers earned the first official guaranteed berth in the postseason with a 47-10 record. With just 25 games left to play, Cleveland will continue to set the new standard of excellence for the conference. Their efforts have already paid off, as three Cavs earned All-Star nods. Donovan Mitchell, a six-time All-Star, travelled to San Francisco with Darius Garland (2x) and Evan Mobley (1x) for the All-Star Break.
Last season, the All-Star break was a pivotal turning point for the Cavs - in the wrong direction. Cleveland returned from the break sluggish and injured, and Mitchell fell ill during the week off, leaving him out of form in the playoffs. This year, the Cavs have won all three games since the break, extending their win streak to seven.
With every Cavalier maximizing their potential and a major trade at the deadline, Cleveland is becoming a titan of the NBA. As the end of the regular season quickly approaches, the Cavs' dominance may extend beyond the hardwood into the end-of-season awards ballots.
Despite what Cavs fans would believe, Mitchell will not be a finalist for MVP. While he is undoubtedly the focal point of Cleveland basketball, the monumental efforts of Garland and company keep him from the MVP spotlight. Pairing that with coach Kenny Atkinson's system lowering his minutes per night, he has not put up the numbers the top candidates are posting.
Still, if the season ended today, three Cavaliers should be the winners of individual awards.
Kenny Atkinson is undoubtedly Coach of the Year
The NBA Coach of the Year award is not meant for the head coach of the league's best team. Oftentimes, it is handed to a coach who overachieved and evolved a roster beyond expectations. For this reason, former Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff is once again in the running for the accolades as he has helped transformed the Detroit Pistons after adding valuable pieces this offseason.
Unsurprisingly, JJ Redick is among candidates for navigating a Los Angeles Lakers roster that seemed dead in the water and turning them into dark horse Finals contenders.
Atkinson, though, has far surpassed any other coach this season. Not only has he elevated the Cavaliers past any expectations, but he has transformed a nearly unchanged roster into the best team in the Association. Under Bickerstaff, the Cavs were a middle-of-the-road offense and hardly utilized their bench depth. Since opening night, Atkinson changed that. The Cavaliers have the league's best offense and find value from every player in the starting five and the reserves.
The Cavaliers started the season with a franchise-best 15-game win streak. Their historic opening run alone should place Atkinson into the finalists, but his ingenious offensive sets and player development turned Cleveland from a team dependent on one star into a squad who with an All-Star trio at the helm.
Rival teams have begun citing the Cavaliers and replicating this success after years of predicting the core four would have to be split up - a belief many Cavs fans also held. Atkinson changed this team for the better and proved everybody wrong doing it.
He's the best coach in the NBA this year, and it's not close.
Evan Mobley must be the DPOY
Every analyst, onlooker and awards voter knows that Victor Wembanyama will probably win nearly a half dozen Defensive Player of the Year awards by the time he retires if he stays healthy. The San Antonio Spurs are far from a great defense yet, but they could potentially be worse than the worst without Wemby.
This year, though, a devastating and sudden report announced that the French unicorn would miss the rest of the season due to blood clots. His departure has left the DPOY race wide open, and two main candidates are seemingly neck-and-neck for the honors - Mobley and Jaren Jackson, Jr.
Jackson won the award two seasons ago after Mobley's sophomore year. In a rematch, Mobley is clearly the better option. While JJJ's raw numbers are nearly equivalent to Evan, his inefficiency, poor rebounding and incessantly fouling make him a defensive liability too often.
Per 36 minutes, Jackson averaged 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 4.2 fouls. Conversely, Mobley averages 9.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and just 2.0 fouls - in 30 minutes per game. Mobley outperforms Jackson in less time played, and after the Cavs' win over Memphis in which Mobley embarrassed Jackson on both ends of the court, there should be no debate.
Advanced numbers dig deeper into Mobley's case, but in short, what Jackson does, Mobley does better. Mobley is a more consistent and valuable defender. The Cavaliers do not have to hope that their defensive juggernaut avoids foul trouble, averaging just .67 fouls every 10 minutes. Jaren averages 1.17 fouls per 10 minutes. JJJ's foul issues have been a constant flaw for the former DPOY his entire career. With Mobley matching and outperforming Jackson in fewer minutes and with fewer fouls, the race is over.
Evan Mobley should be the obvious favorite for DPOY, writer's bias or not.
Ty Jerome is the league's best Sixth Man
After acquiring Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner De'Andre Hunter, the Cavaliers might have the top two 6MOY prospects in the league. Considering that most of Hunter's time was with the Atlanta Hawks and he may soon be a starter this year, Jerome is Cleveland's best candidate for the award.
At times, Jerome is the best player on the court. His fearless shooting, floaters and crafty layups show shades and hints of the league's best guards. In moments, Jerome looks like an off-brand Luka Doncic only to quickly become a poor man's Stephen Curry, confidently launching threes from far deeper than any coach would feel comfortable coming from a reserve player.
Watching Jerome, much of what he does simply shouldn't work. His jumpshot looks closer to a shot put, and he has roughly the same vertical leaping ability as Shaquille O'Neal had during his Cavs tenure. Yet somehow, every shot just feels like a guarantee when he's on his game.
Cleveland's spark plug is averaging 11.7 points, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 19.2 minutes per game. On 3.5 three-point attempts, he is averaging a stellar 43.7 percent. He is a marksman, defensive pest and a critical piece to the Cavaliers' championship puzzle.
Jerome has fallen out of favor for 6MOY with the media, but it is hard to name a bench player more impactful than the former Virginia Cavalier.
From a fan perspective, the Cavaliers are favorites for every award. Even Jaylon Tyson should have a case for Rookie of the Year in the eyes of local fans, especially with how lackluster this class has been. Nonetheless, the Cavaliers deserve recognition as a team and individuals. Their All-Stars are all putting together All-NBA seasons, and both Mobley and Jarrett Allen should be locks for All-Defensive teams.
When the season concludes, the Cleveland Cavaliers need to be recognized. It will be a helpful way for the rest of the league to get used to seeing the Cavs hold trophies before June rolls around.