The 2024-25 NBA season is here! We’re breaking down the biggest questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and fantasy outlooks for all 30 teams. Enjoy!
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
2023-24 finish
Offseason moves
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Additions: Head coach Kenny Atkinson, Jaylon Tyson, JT Thor, Luke Travers
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Subtractions: Head coach JB Bickerstaff, Marcus Morris, Damian Jones, Isaiah Mobley
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Complete roster
The Big Question: Can they finally become more than the sum of their parts?
Zoom out, and the Cavs’ recent résumé looks downright impressive. Consecutive playoff berths for the first time since LeBron James left; the franchise’s first playoff series victory without James since 1993; the formation of a core with three All-Star cornerstones, plus a fourth who finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting before turning 22.
But you don’t fire the coach who produced that relative success because you’re satisfied by it. You do it because you expect more — more offensive synergy, more pathways to Ws, more than the fourth seed, and more than one series win in which you barely scratched out a point per possession against postseason newbies. That, clearly, is what the Cavs brass expects from Atkinson, fresh off stints assisting Tyronn Lue and Steve Kerr after rebuilding the Nets — and from a core that general manager Koby Altman just paid through the nose to lock into place.
“We want to align ourselves with the best teams in the NBA, and ultimately compete for championships,” Altman said in a team release announcing Donovan Mitchell’s extension.
There’s a reasonable case for expecting more. Last year’s Cavs finished fourth despite Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley missing 84 games, and despite that trio and Jarrett Allen playing just 392 minutes together. Better health could help foster a return to the rhythm that group found in 2022-23, when Cleveland blitzed opponents by 8.9 points per 100 possessions in their minutes.
A bounce-back would be particularly welcome for Garland, who suffered early hamstring and neck injuries before getting totally derailed by a fractured jaw that rendered him unable to eat solid food for more than a month. Getting him back to All-Star form would go a long way toward helping Atkinson smooth out some of the wrinkles in the Cavs’ offense.
The glass-half-empty take would suggest that those wrinkles represent a naturally occurring byproduct of the fabric of Cleveland’s construction: that a team built around two smaller guards at their best on the ball, and two big men at their best operating inside the elbows, will ultimately prove insufficiently versatile to topple the best opponents they’ll face. To wit: Over the past two seasons, the Cavs were 57-12 against teams under-.500, and 41-53 against opponents with records at or above .500, and went 48-11 against teams with a bottom-10 efficiency differential, and 20-31 against teams in the top 10, according to Cleaning the Glass.
By extending Mitchell, Mobley and Allen, and holding firm on not moving Garland, Altman and Co. have taken a more optimistic view. Maybe growth comes in the form of Mobley stretching his game out to the perimeter to decongest the offense (or, for that matter, Allen resuming the project of taking 3-pointers that he began under Atkinson in Brooklyn). Maybe it’s Mitchell and Garland finding more profitable ways to coexist (more small-small screening actions, please).
Maybe it’s even more aggressive staggering of the core four to field more lineups featuring one guard, one big and three wings — some combination of Max Strus, Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill, Isaac Okoro or rookie Jaylon Tyson — to more frequently maximize Cleveland’s spacing, shooting and playmaking juice. Maybe, with Atkinson offering a fresh set of eyes and ideas, it’s all of the above, resulting in a version of the Cavs that pairs an elite defense with finally realized offensive potential — a team that could legitimately make the conference finals.
If it’s not, though? Then maybe it’s time to change some of those parts, in search of a greater sum.
Best-case scenario
Better health, Atkinson’s creativity and a perimeter leap from Mobley give Cleveland the fundamentals of a top-10 offense. Three Cavs make the Eastern All-Star team as they surge to a top-two seed and the chance to face a play-in team rather than slug it out in the 4-vs.-5 matchup.
Mitchell’s outstanding performance in the postseason propels the Cavs into the Eastern Conference finals, reigniting hope for all involved.
If things go awry
Despite Atkinson’s adjustments, the core four lineup remains disjointed, with better chemistry seen in pairings like Mitchell-and-Allen or Garland-and-Mobley. The team struggles in the playoffs for the third year in a row, lacking a reliable fifth starter and failing to utilize Mobley as a key offensive player. The Cavs barely stay above the play-in mix and face an early playoff exit, sparking discussions about breaking up the core and closing a well-intentioned yet underwhelming era.
Fantasy outlook
Although Mobley’s performance has been steady in his first three seasons, a breakout is on the horizon. Atkinson plans to feature Mobley as a playmaker and has been working on expanding his shooting range. Expect a breakout season from the 23-year-old, making him a valuable early fourth-round pick.
The main question mark lies with Garland, who was hampered by injuries and decreased production last season. If last year was an anomaly, his sixth-round ADP presents an opportunity to invest. – Dan Titus
2024-25 season forecast
With one less major injury and further improvement from Garland, Mobley, or other young players, the Cavs can exceed last year’s performance. While they may not match up against top teams in the playoffs, they are poised to secure numerous victories throughout the season.
sentence in a passive voice: The teacher will grade the exams tomorrow.
The exams will be graded by the teacher tomorrow.