At this point last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers were racing through the regular season. They started off 15-0, and were 21-4 through their first 25 games.
They had the NBA’s best offense by far. Their oft-criticized core four of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen were playing well together, and they were running away with the Eastern Conference.
What a difference a year makes. The Cavs are 14-11 thus far, and are the eighth seed in the East. They are currently on pace for 46 wins, a far cry from the 64 wins they had just a season ago.
The team is just mired in a funk. After a relatively clean bill of healthy last year, injuries have hit Cleveland like a truck so far. Garland, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, and Max Strus have all missed significant time due to various ailments. The Cavs’ core four has played only 57 minutes together this season.
Cleveland has declined on both ends of the floor. They have had a defensive rating of 120 or worse seven times this season. They are also shooting the most 3s per game in the league, but are only knocking down 34 percent of them. It’s been an all-around struggle for the Cavs thus far, but the panic button should not be pressed yet.
Recent history shows the Cavaliers can turn it around
Just last season, the Indiana Pacers were 10-15 through their first 25 games. They were also battling injuries and inconsistencies just one year after making the Eastern Conference Finals. They were able to turn it around, finishing the season with a 50-32 record.
There are other examples as well.
The 2024 Mavs were 16-9 through the first 25 games, and still made the NBA Finals. The 2023 Miami Heat were 11-14. The 2023 Denver Nuggets were 15-10. The 2022 Boston Celtics were 13-12. There have been other squads that have started off relatively slow, yet they were still able to turn it around.
The point is that the season is not decided in the first two months of the year. There are 82 games for a reason, and the Cavs could be in a much worse spot than the 14-11 record they currently have.
Cleveland would rather be peaking in the spring
Over the last two seasons, the Cavs have gone on insane runs in the middle of the year. During the 2023-24 season, they went on an 18-3 run spanning from December to February. Last year, they had the 15-0 start, and two separate winning streaks of 12 or more.
They have raced through the early parts of the season before, but each time it led to them not peaking in the playoffs.
Cleveland has limped into the playoffs in each of the last two years, which has led to them underperforming when it matters the most. Maybe this bit of early season adversity will be the key to them turning it around.
They have the talent. They have the pieces. They also have the time to turn it around.