Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers landed in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with a 22-50 record. That being said, they have a young team and they should be able to make improvements this year.
Cleveland Cavaliers 2021-22 Season Preview
Offseason Changes
To begin with, the Cavaliers selected Evan Mobley with the third pick in the NBA Draft. Mobley looked solid in the summer league so it will definitely be intriguing to see him fit alongside Jarrett Allen.
Speaking of Allen, Cleveland wasted no time locking him in long-term, as they re-signed him to a 5-year/$100M deal. This will help the team out tremendously on the defensive end.
The biggest move the Cavaliers made this off-season was trading away Larry Nance Jr. and a future second-round pick to Portland in a three-team deal that landed them Lauri Markkanen from Chicago. This was a solid move for the Cavs since Markkanen will be a great fit for this team. He has the ability to space the floor, as he averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 40.2% from behind the arc.
Other than that, fans should keep an eye out for Kevin Love and possibly Collin Sexton, as there were some reports suggesting that Cleveland could ship them.
Cleveland Cavaliers – Expectations For This Season
The Cavaliers have a pretty young and solid roster from top to bottom. Regardless of trade rumors, expect Sexton to take his game to the next level. Last year, he averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists per game so it’s fair to say that he will continue to improve his overall game.
Along with Sexton, you can expect players like Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro to improve their game as well. Garland shot well from behind the arc, and he was an even better facilitator. Okoro struggled offensively, however, his defensive presence will help the Cavs win more games.
This team has improved overall. They’ve improved in most major departments like defense, rebounding, and three-point shooting. The young nucleus they have should all improve next season.
With all of that in mind, the expectation for the Cleveland Cavaliers should be to contend for a spot in the play-in tournament. The Eastern Conference got much tougher, but with the play-in tournament giving the 9th and 10th seed a chance, Cleveland gets more of an opportunity to extend their season. Expect them to be around the 10th to 12th seed.
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