3 reasons that make the Cleveland Cavaliers dark horse contenders this season
There's no denying that the Cleveland Cavaliers are far from favorites to win the NBA Finals or even appear in the final round.
Still, the Cavs have assembled a young, confident roster who can contend with the best. After a humiliating playoff run against the New York Knicks in 2023, an injured and undermanned Cleveland squad battled through a tight series in round one and took a game off the soon-to-be champions.
The Cavaliers need change to win. While many believed that change would result in a trade to bring in outside talent, Cleveland chose to believe in internal change to elevate the team. Head coach Kenny Atkinson has expressed a focus on the Cavs' two young stars, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, in his inaugural season with the franchise. Bringing both players to their potential could be the final piece to the Cavaliers' Finals hopes. Mobley has shown great potential in low usage, and Garland is a fringe All-Star candidate whenever he is healthy.
As it stands, the Cavaliers seem to view last season as a blip caused by uncontrollable injury circumstances. The offense needed to be revised, making Atkinson the Cavs' big move of the summer. Cleveland also added a young, talented wing Jaylon Tyson in the draft. Tyson has already shined in training camp and will see his first action in preseason.
Dark horse Cavaliers
Cleveland certainly seems themselves are legit threats in the Eastern Conference, and it seems they are not alone. Ben Couch of NBA.com published a piece detailing how the Cavaliers could be unforeseen dark horse contenders.
In a series of potential NBA storylines for this season, Couch says the Cavaliers' young cast could put the puzzle pieces together. Two years of injury woes have held back the Cavs, and last season saw three of Cleveland's core four miss more than one-third of the potential 246 games among them. Donovan Mitchell's post-All-Star sickness and subsequent injury left him limping into the postseason. Without their leader, the Cavaliers were lost at times, almost losing to an inexperienced Orlando Magic team in game seven.
If Mitchell has another All-Star season and the rest of the core develops, Couch believes the Cavaliers could be the surprise story of the East.
Still, Couch notes a lot has to go in Cleveland's favor for that scenario to emerge. The Atkinson hire must work out, Mitchell must continue his dominance and stay healthy, Allen needs to shine, Mobley has to add more to his offense and Garland needs to bounce back. Most of Cleveland's needs revolve around the most important players rather than depth, which could be a harrowing feat for the Cavs to ensure works in their favor.
The Cavaliers are not a weak team, though. They have yet to spend a playoff series healthy together. What would their next postseason run look like if Cleveland could piece together a solid season?