It’s official. After pummeling the Timberwolves Thursday night, the Dallas Mavericks will join the Boston Celtics in this year’s NBA Finals. Now that the matchup is decided, how can the Cavs make sure it’s them playing for their second title in franchise history this time next year?
How the Cavs Can Make the Finals in 2025
Current Roster Construction
Currently, today’s successful NBA teams have shied away from attempting to create ‘superteams’ such as the 2017-2019 Golden State Warriors. Instead, teams have opted for a two-star and elite role-player approach. Last year, the Denver Nuggets won a championship with their two stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. This year both Dallas and Boston have made the Finals with star tandems of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, while the Celtics have a duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The way the Cavs roster is constructed is in a quite similar fashion to these teams. The Cavs have their franchise guard in Donovan Mitchell. They have a past-first playmaking guard in Darius Garland, and two defensive anchors in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. With the development of Mobley’s offensive game, the Cavs will have four perennial All-Star caliber players.
Wing Depth and Elite Role Players
Outside of the ‘Big four’, there is an infatuation for perimeter defenders who can shoot, coined ‘3&D’ players. All successful teams have them. The Cavs already possess players who would be classified as ‘3&D’ players.
Isaac Okoro is at the face of that, Okoro is an elite all-around defender who will likely make an All-Defensive team during his career. His issue comes with his shooting as does most of the Cavs role players. Okoro, 23, is shooting 34.7% in his first four NBA seasons. He is coming off his best shooting season as he shot 39.1% on 3.1 attempts per game. Okoro has not been a volume shooter in his career, however, and it hasn’t been pretty when he’s been asked to be. In 23 career games where he has shot six or more threes, he is shooting 34%, below league average. However, as he is so young he is poised to continue to expand his offensive game, to pair with his elite speed in transition.
The Cavs also have players like Dean Wade, Georges Niang, Sam Merrill, Caris Levert, and Max Strus. All four players serve a different purpose within the Cavs offense while maintaining one thing: shooting. Wade plays a similar role to Okoro as he is a great perimeter defender. Niang is less athletic but can be a clinical shooter. Merrill is a flamethrower, the Cavs use him whenever they need an extra shooting boost. He shot 40.4% this season from behind the line and is legitimately one of the best pure shooters in the NBA. Caris Levert is the Cavs’ sixth man. He can handle the ball, create his own shot, and does whatever the Cavs need. However, he may just be the most inconsistent player in the NBA. A consistent Levert is a top-tier sixth man.
Strus is the most important of the four as he helps facilitate the offense, both off the ball and as a ball-handler.
Max Strus just adds more things that Cleveland can run. Veer action but Strus is going to get you to chase, two on the ball on the drive, Allen open on an empty side. pic.twitter.com/o35km3R21c
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) November 12, 2023
The Cavs signed Strus to a four-year, $63 million deal last summer and will expect him to improve his 35.1% shooting from this year. Regardless, his value to the Cavs offense is immeasurable and he will be key to any playoff run the Cavs make.
The Cavs current ‘3&D’ options certainly leave a lot to be desired. In the playoffs, the above-mentioned players shot 30% from three. However, there is room for optimism that Okoro and Merrill will only get better while Strus rebounds after a down year. For the Cavs to do anything in the postseason they need production from these guys and at a higher volume.
Elite Defense
Since drafting Evan Mobley in the summer of 2021, the Cavs have boasted one of the elite defenses in the NBA. In the past two seasons, the Cavs have had a top-seven defense, according to defensive rating. In 2023, Mobley was, at the time, the second youngest player to ever make the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
The Cavs have a dynamic frontcourt with Mobley and Allen, stellar wing defenders in Okoro and Wade, while Mitchell and Garland compete on a nightly basis. There are no signs that their defensive performance will take a step back this upcoming season. Defense will be a major reason for their success if the Cavs are contenders.
Additions
There are not many avenues in which the Cavs can shake up their roster heading into next season. However, they do own the 20th overall pick in this upcoming draft. Whoever, they draft will crack their rotation and be able to not only provide solid minutes off the bench but also take minutes from less productive players. Options, that’s what the Cavs need for a playoff run, and adding a young player will aid this.
New Head Coach
Two weeks ago, the Cavs relieved J.B. Bickerstaff from his coaching duties in an attempt to push further in the postseason. Time was up for Bickerstaff who served the Cavs for the past five years, and it’s a good time to get a fresh pair of eyes on this team. The level of team offense shown in the playoffs was nowhere near acceptable another reason Bickerstaff was let go. Whoever the Cavs appoint as head coach will be under pressure to have success in the playoffs. If the Cavs get this hire right, it could help them shoot to the top of the East standings.
Star Power
At the end of the day, the playoffs come down to the production of your stars, and a lot will be on the shoulders of Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell is a proven player; he’s a five-time all-star and played in the playoffs every year of his career.
However, for the Cavs to be Finals contenders, Evan Mobley must be Cleveland’s best player. Mobley will be 23 by the start of next season and is coming off an injury-filled season. However, he still averaged 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while playing All-Defensive level defense. Mobley is a generational player and a perfect pairing alongside Donovan Mitchell. He is everything Mitchell is not, which allows them to be effective together. Mitchell’s most success this season came with Jarrett Allen however he does possess the potential of Mobley.
Evan Mobley showed flashes of the player he can be with his 33-point outing in the Cavs final game of the season in Boston. Mobley has begun to mix in the three as well, shooting 37.3% in a small sample this year. His potential is up there with anyone in the NBA with his size, defensive ability, and offensive upside. He is the key to the Cavs success. If he takes another leap this year, watch out for Cleveland.
Overall, there is not a button the Cavs can push to become a contender next year. It will require improvement across the board, particularly from their depth and starters like Darius Garland and Max Strus. In the case the Cavs start clicking in April next year, who knows how far they could go?
