To recap the 2023-24 fantasy basketball season, let’s review and analyze the impact players on the Cleveland Cavaliers had.
Cleveland Cavaliers Fantasy Basketball 2023-24 Season Review
Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell was the offensive cornerstone for the Cavaliers, leading the team while injuries took their toll. However, he had his fair share of health issues. The five-time All-Star is known for staying relatively healthy, but his knee, nose, and other injuries limited him to appearing in the second-lowest games of his career. Conversely, Mitchell had his best fantasy season yet, providing top-10 value in category leagues per Basketball Monster. He also ranked in the top 10 in the NBA for points and threes and top five in steals. As a result, those were his best categories, along with free throw percentage and assists. The guard also contributed some rebounds and blocks. His field goal percentage has improved over the years but was down from last season and wasn’t the most effective, considering his nearly 20 attempts per game. The only category Mitchell significantly hurt was turnovers.
- Stats: 26.6 PPG, 6.1 APG, 5.1 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 3.3 3PM, 2.8 TOV, 46/37/87, 55 GP
- Categories rank: 8
- Points rank: 11
Evan Mobley
Since being drafted in 2021, Evan Mobley has continuously improved his fantasy value. In his third year, he ranked in the top 50 in category leagues for the first time. He did this while appearing in a career-low 50 games and playing 30.6 minutes due to injuries. The center also improved in his worst categories, averaging personal bests in threes and free throw percentage. While his scoring from beyond the arc was minimal, he notably converted over 70% of his shots at the line for the first time. Mobley had decent production in assists and steals and was better than most centers in these stats. But the 23-year-old’s numbers were best in rebounds, field goal percentage, and blocks. While he set career marks in the first two categories, his blocks were the opposite. But it was still enough to make a positive impact in that column.
- Stats: 15.7 PPG, 3.2 APG, 9.4 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 0.4 3PM, 1.8 TOV, 58/37/72, 50 GP
- Categories rank: 42
- Points rank: 45
Jarrett Allen
Cleveland depended on Jarrett Allen more in the frontcourt when Mobley was out for stretches. While his fantasy ranking dropped over 10 spots from 2022-23, he made some leaps offensively. His top offensive and overall category was field goal percentage, despite dropping about four points from his best average. This was also the first season where he averaged double-digit shot attempts due to his increased scoring load. Allen recorded personal bests in points and assists, but his value in these areas was decent. His turnovers weren’t too high, but worst of all was his threes, as he only attempted six all season and didn’t make any. However, managers drafted Allen for his production in rebounds and blocks. The big man averaged a double-double of points and boards, although his blocks were the lowest of his career. Nevertheless, they remained some of his most impactful categories.
- Stats: 16.5 PPG, 2.7 APG, 10.5 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 0.0 3PM, 1.6 TOV, 63/0/74, 77 GP
- Categories rank: 45
- Points rank: 48
Darius Garland
One of the most disappointing fantasy players was Darius Garland. After ranking inside the top 50 in category leagues in the past two seasons, he fell just outside the top 100. Part of the blame is attributable to injuries forcing him to play under 60 games, but he lost his groove even after returning to the court. Garland broke his jaw in December and was sidelined for about a month and a half. Once returning, his production was underwhelming and fluctuating. Inconsistency was a season-long issue for Garland, and his stats declined. His best fantasy value came from assists, steals, and threes. However, the point guard’s dimes were noticeably down from the past two seasons. His points and free-throw percentage were decent, but his scoring impact lessened, and his foul-shooting efficiency was the lowest of his career. He was a bad source of field goal percentage, blocks, rebounds, and turnovers.
- Stats: 18.0 PPG, 6.5 APG, 2.7 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 2.3 3PM, 3.1 TOV, 45/37/83, 57 GP
- Categories rank: 109
- Points rank: 74
Caris LeVert
Caris LeVert recorded his best fantasy value with the Cavaliers since he joined the team in 2021-22, despite playing his lowest minutes there this season. The team depended on him more when Mitchell and Garland were sidelined, and he provided. The 29-year-old was active on the offensive end through his playmaking and three-point shooting. He didn’t turn over the ball too much and had one or fewer turnovers in nearly half his games. However, his contributions in points, blocks, and rebounds often weren’t impactful enough for fantasy. The guard/forward lacked the most in the shooting efficiency columns, as LeVert is known for being inconsistent from the field. In 2023-24, he posted the worst field goal percentage of his career, while surprisingly, his free throw percentage was his second highest. That wasn’t enough to be valuable in fantasy, but his shooting from the field was by far his worst category.
- Stats: 14.0 PPG, 5.1 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 1.6 3PM, 1.7 TOV, 42/33/77, 68 GP
- Categories rank: 128
- Points rank: 100
Max Strus
After signing with Cleveland in the 2023 offseason, Max Strus had the best fantasy value of his career. He had previously ranked outside the top 200 in category leagues in all four seasons. What changed is that he earned a consistent starting role with the Cavaliers and averaged over 30 minutes per game for the first time. As a result, the small forward created new personal bests in multiple categories. While his numbers weren’t outstanding, Strus made great strides in 2023-24. His stats in threes were his best contribution, and his low turnovers (despite nearly doubling from last season) made him appealing. His assists and free throw percentage were decent, and his rebounds were slightly less. The 28-year-old didn’t make much defensive contributions, especially in blocks. His impact was least felt in points and field goal percentage.
- Stats: 12.2 PPG, 4.0 APG, 4.8 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 2.4 3PM, 1.6 TOV, 42/35/79, 70 GP
- Categories rank: 122
- Points rank: 125
Other Cavaliers
–Dean Wade: categories rank: 205/points rank: 275
–Isaac Okoro: categories rank: 206/points rank: 210
–Georges Niang: categories rank: 276/points rank: 255
–Sam Merrill: categories rank: 278/points rank: 279
–Marcus Morris: categories rank: 347/points rank: 341
–Craig Porter Jr.: categories rank: 362/points rank: 297
–Damian Jones: categories rank: 423/points rank: 435
–Tristan Thompson: categories rank: 487/points rank: 384
Category rankings from Basketball Monster
Points rankings based on ESPN’s default system
