The young Cleveland Cavaliers team are going to be a side to watch out for in the Eastern Conference this NBA season
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The Cleveland Cavaliers had a pretty impressive campaign last season. Although they didn’t make it to the playoffs, the development of the side, made them a team to watch out for. Building up on that, the Cavs went all in during the summer and decided to bring in three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell into the team.
The young guard was expected to make his way to the New York Knicks in the offseason. However, Danny Ainge was pleased with the deal the Cleveland Cavaliers had offered and decided to send his star to the Eastern Conference. His arrival has certainly made them a strong contender among the other top guns. Mitchell’s ability to score will be a big boost to the team’s offense which seemed to struggle a little bit last season. Aside from Mitchell, there are a lot of positives to the Cavaliers have to offer. In today’s article, we take a look at the five players from the team who are going to be key for them during the 2022-23 NBA season.
Donovan Mitchell was a big part of the Utah Jazz side that made six consecutive playoff appearances. Although he gave his best, the franchise failed to make it past the second round and eventually decided to go into a rebuild this offseason. After having traded Rudy Gobert, Mitchell was the next in line. Danny Ainge managed to get talented players like Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen and Ochai Agbaji in exchange for Mitchell.
His key ability is to score buckets on a nightly basis. Playing alongside a guard like Darius Garland, Mitchell can unleash himself as he can expect a lot of open looks. Having played in the playoffs consistently, Mitchell is also well-versed in what is needed to succeed there. He will be looking to bring all of that experience and help the other young stars in Cleveland get better.
Darius Garland is one of the most impressive young talents in the NBA. He led the Cleveland Cavaliers from the front and made his first All-Star appearance. Garland averaged 21.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 8.6 APG, all of these stats being career high’s for him. Looking at his brilliance for the team, he was offered a five-year max rookie extension in July.
Fresh off that, Garland will be gunning to play quality basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Entering the fourth season of his career, Garland will be looking to further elevate his game and enter into the conversation of being among the best point guards in the league.
Evan Mobley had an impressive rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 15.0 PPG and 8.3 RPG while shooting 50.8% from the field. His rim protection helped the franchise massively as they were the fifth-best defensive unit in the league. Going into his sophomore year, there are a lot more expectations from Mobley. The signing of Mitchell is certainly massive. But it does mean that the 21-year-old will have to work further hard on the defensive end as Mitchell is not known to be a great defender. Although he has vowed to improve on that end, Mobley is one player who will be key for them there. He has a really high ceiling and will be key for the Cleveland Cavaliers if they are to make a deep playoff run this season.
Jarrett Allen is another player from the Cavs, who was terrific last season. His rim protection has been elite and since his arrival in Cleveland, Allen has also improved on the offensive end. Last season, he averaged 16.1 PPG and 10.8 RPG, both being career highs for him. He is still young and has scope for a lot of improvement. Coming into the 2022-23 season, if he does elevate his game, things are going to look great for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kevin Love came off the bench for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. Although that was not something he had earlier done in his career, the 2016 NBA champion embraced it well. He averaged 13.6 PPG and 7.2 RPG while shooting 43% from the field. Coming into the 2022-23 season, Love will most certainly play a similar role. He has been a great mentor to the youngsters in Cleveland. Being the only player who has the experience of winning a championship, Love is well-respected in the locker room.
