Cavs season opening confidence meter
Our staff voted on how we feel about the Cavaliers heading into the 2024-25 season.
The season begins on Wednesday. It’s a good time for the Fear the Sword staff to provide a temperature check on where we feel things stand for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The exercise is simple. We voted on a scale of 1-10 on how much confidence we have in the five categories below and why we think that way.
Front Office
Staff voting: 7.1
Twitter (X) poll grade: B
Previous voting: 6.75
Keeping the core together was a risk. It would’ve been easier to justify trading Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen in the summer than not doing so based on Cleveland’s mid-season run last year and their playoff results. Instead, Koby Altman and company decided to keep the group together and bet on internal improvements with a new head coach.
We’ll see if that strategy pays off. There’s two years of playoff data that point to this not being a well-fitting core. At the same time, you could’ve said that about the Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown pairing at various points in the past several seasons before they broke through a year after embracing a different style under a new head coach.
I’m not saying that will happen in Cleveland. But there’s reason to believe that there’s similarly more to get out of this core than what we’ve seen the past two seasons even if they don’t have the ceiling that Boston did. It’s easy to overlook the value of continuity. — Jackson Flickinger
Coaching Staff
Staff voting: 8.6
Twitter (X) poll grade: B
Previous voting: 8.75
The Cavs are placing their faith in Kenny Atkinson’s hands. It’s on him to iron out the wrinkles of this roster and justify the prolonged existence of the core four.
There’s no doubt this group can win a bunch of regular season games. They have the eighth most wins in the NBA since 2022 and even advanced to the second round of the playoffs last season. Yet it feels like Cleveland’s ceiling in the postseason won’t rise much higher until their offensive output matches their elite defense. They’ve consistently struggled to score at a rate comparable to other contenders across the league.
This is where Atkinson and crew come into the picture. Atkinson is tasked with breaking old habits and forming modern playstyles. That includes an influx of three-point shooting, playing at a faster pace, and centering the development of Evan Mobley as a foundational cornerstone of this team’s long-term success.
Atkinson has a tall task ahead of him — and he’ll likely receive more blame than credit along the way. But as of now, there’s reason to believe he is the correct man for the job. — Tony Pesta
Starting Lineup
Staff voting: 7.6
Twitter (X) poll grade: A
Previous voting: 7
The Cavs planned on running the starting lineup back from last season with their core four plus Max Strus, but that went up in flames already. Strus is out at least six weeks with an ankle sprain suffered at practice in Chicago, a tough blow before the regular season has even started. Strus is an important component of the starting lineup, but not as critical as the core four. That said, ankles are finicky and Strus has a history of such injuries.
Dean Wade stepping in would be ideal, as he gives a blend of size, shooting, and defense that the Cavs crave. However, Wade also has a history of injuries. Isaac Okoro or Caris LeVert may need to step in over the next few months too, continuing the revolving door at small forward that has been spinning since 2018 when a certain someone left for Los Angeles.
But the most important pieces for the Cavs’ starting lineup are Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. With a new offensive scheme, better health, and positive signs of Mobley being more aggressive, the ceiling is high for the starters. As we saw last season, even with injuries to that core, the team can still be very good. — Mike Anguilano
Bench
Staff voting: 6.25
Twitter (X) poll grade: C
Previous voting: 3.25
I’m the dissenting, positive voice among my colleagues and I understand why. The bench players are flawed and sometimes frustrating. Dean Wade doesn’t shoot. Isaac Okoro can’t get the most out of his offensive skills. Sam Merrill is limited outside of his shooting. Georges Niang isn’t a good defender or rebounder. Caris LeVert is Caris LeVert. And so on.
This all obscures how well the bench fits with the core pieces on this team which is actually what matters. The bench’s fit with the core is why the Cavs were overall better with LeVert and Wade on the court than they were without. It’s why the offense was improved with Niang and the defense with Okoro. This led to the Cavaliers’ two best lineups that played over 150 possessions last season including two or more bench pieces. It’s also why the Cavs were able to be as productive as they were when Garland and Mobley missed large portions of last season.
The goal of a bench isn’t to score the most points. Instead, it’s to compliment the starters and core pieces. The Cavs reserves do that extraordinarily well even if they don’t have players that aren’t impressive in a vacuum. The bench deserves much more respect than what they’re getting. — Flickinger
Overall Outlook
Staff voting: 8.5
Twitter (X) poll grade: B
Previous voting: 6.75
The Cavaliers find themselves in an Eastern Conference arms race with many teams pushing for a title. The Cavaliers decided to stand pat players-wise, opting to change the coaching as their big swing. The bet the front office made on their core four and supporting cast could help them early on, as teams like the Knicks and 76ers shuffled their personnel to compete with the defending champion Celtics.
While other teams work to hit their stride, the Cavaliers can rely on the talent that has now played together for full seasons. The ceiling for this team has always been high and they have only scratched the surface of what they are capable of. The East has a lot of variables at play, so keeping the band together for now is the best move for the present.
If Mobley takes a leap offensively, Garland returns to form, and Michell’s health bounces back, this Cavaliers team has the potential to go toe to toe with the Celtics. The Cavaliers have had good to great regular season teams, but have sputtered out once postseason basketball hits. If Atkinson succeeds with elevating the offense, the Cavaliers’ ceiling will rise from a great regular season team to a title contender. — Corey Walsh