NBA PREVIEW : CLEVELAND CAVALIERS, THE ONLY WAY IS UP?

After the drastic talent vacuum left in Cleveland after Lebron departed for LA the Cavaliers struggled to put together a solid team, let alone a solid season. They managed to improve every year, though, going 19-46 in the 2019-20 season, then going 22-50 in the following season, 44-38 in 2021-22 and finally 51-31 last season. Each season winning more than the last.

Cleveland Cavaliers struggled since the departure of LeBron till they eventually had a winning season in 2021/22

Unfortunately for Cleveland, the team got upset by the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in five quick games. Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Caris LeVert were the only players who averaged over 10.0 points in the Knicks series.

Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Caris LeVert were the only players who averaged over 10.0 points in the New York Knicks series.

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Although they continued to improve, this is the first year of real continuity for the current Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2018 Cleveland drafted Collin Sexton who, along with Darius Garland drafted the following year, sought to lead the new trajectory of the franchise. Jarrett Allen was acquired via trade in early 2021 and Evan Mobley was drafted during the following offseason. When the final piece of the current team (Donovan Mitchell) joined in the 2022 offseason it was at the expense of Sexton, who had missed a large amount of time the previous seasons due to injury. The point being there was never a season where a major piece of the team wasn’t acquired and/or shipped out, until now. Aside from adding bench players to address the team’s issues, none of the core of the team was moved. This means for the first time they have an entire offseason to build on their chemistry rather than having to establish it.

Evan Mobley was drafted during off-season of 2021

Cleveland improved on their depth from last year. Adding Max Strus, Georges Niang and Ty Jerome brings a higher level of scoring than Cleveland fans could expect from last year’s team. They also retained their best rotational players in Okoro, LaVert, and Dean Wade.

The Cavs added Max Strus, Georges Niang and Ty Jerome in the offseason

Aside from the rotation pieces and role players, the Cavaliers also have a very talented young pool of players to pick from in the Charge. The most notable being Isaiah Mobley, Craig Porter Jr and Sam Merrill. Emoni Bates, this year’s Cavaliers draft selection, also has the potential to be a standout.

Every major member of this team is also very young. Mobley is the youngest at 22, Garland is 23, Allen is 25 and Mitchell is 26. Along with each approaching their prime, all of these players have been all-stars within the last 2 years, too. They’re only going to improve and, with each of them already being all stars before technically entering their prime, the sky’s the limit.

With the talent in this group, the biggest concern is undoubtedly injuries. None of these players played every game last season, meaning that it’s likely injuries will pop up again. On the flip side, that also leaves a sample of what to expect if any of these players miss any major time. Without Garland (missing 13 games) they went 11-2. Without Mitchell (missing 14 games) they went 7-7. They also went 7-7 without Allen and they went 3-0 in the three games Mobley missed. They’re not only able to survive while missing one of their guys, but thrive. When one of the better players does go down they’ve split even, but with an improved team the wins should start to come more readily.

With the overall talent spread well across the entire roster, losing any one player to injury isn’t going to derail the team. It may slow them, but with the rate this team’s improving at, it’ll be difficult to stop them

The stakes have never been higher for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they head into what could arguably be their most consequential season in recent memory. With Donovan Mitchell in the final year of his contract, the team’s management, players, and fans alike are acutely aware of the significance of the campaign ahead. The sacrifices the Cavs made to bring Mitchell on board, trading valuable assets and shaking up their roster, have put them under intense scrutiny. The pressure isn’t merely to perform but to contend at the highest level.

Donovan Mitchell is in the final year of his contract

PLAYER WATCH

TY JEROME

2022-23 stats: 45 games played, 18.1 minutes per game, 6.9 points per game, 1.7 rebounds per game, 3.0 assists per game, 48.4 FG%

If there was one word to summarize the offseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it would be “shooting”. While Max Strus and Georges Niang were the headline offseason acquisitions and shooters in their own right, the signing of Ty Jerome went relatively under the radar. Jerome fills a key need for the Cavaliers, a roster that was largely devoid of bench shooting and is coming off one of arguably his most well-rounded offensive seasons.

Jerome spent last season on the Golden State Warriors on a two-way deal, appearing in 45 games for the then-defending NBA Champions. He knocked down 38.9% of his three-pointers and dished out a career-best three assists per game. An injury to Stephen Curry forced Jerome into the lineup as a ball handler, an 11-game stretch where Golden State went 6-5. In that brief window, Jerome averaged 9.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 47% from the floor and 36.4% from three-point territory. Those are respectable numbers, especially considering he was filling in for one of the most dynamic players in the league.

That experience as a ball handler may prove to be useful for the Cavaliers this upcoming season. With Ricky Rubio stepping away from the team to take care of his mental health, and no clear backup point guard on the roster, there’s a role for Jerome.

While it is unclear how long Rubio will be away, Jerome has demonstrated the ability to fill in as needed. Jerome spent 42% of his time last season at point guard, stabilizing the offense to 117.2 points per 100 possessions per Cleaning the Glass. That is passable for what should be a part-time role, giving way to the probable backup ball-handler Caris LeVert. There is some of Rubio’s game in Jerome, too: a taller guard who makes up for the lack of athleticism by utilizing his size:

Jerome shot 73% at the rim (96th percentile for combo guards, right in the Kyrie Irving and Bradley Beal range per Cleaning the Glass) despite only 20% of shots coming from that spot. The real bread and butter for Jerome is in the short mid-range, where 39% of shots came from (98th percentile) with 48% accuracy. That is where those floaters come in.