Cleveland, OH

3 Things That Must Happen For a Successful Cavaliers Season

Published

1 year ago

July 18, 2024

3 Things That Must Happen For a Successful Cavaliers Season

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not been very busy in terms of making additions this offseason, but they have made a couple of key moves for the future.

First and foremost, the Cavaliers reached a three-year contract extension with Donovan Mitchell, which will keep him in Cleveland at least through 2027 (he has a player option for the 2027-28 campaign).

The Cavs also made a coachign change, going from J.B. Bickerstaff to Kenny Atkinson.

Both of those moves can be seen as steps forward, although the switch from Bickerstaff to Atkinson is obviously open for judgment.

That being said, the Cavaliers’ roster largely looks like last year’s, save for the addition of rookie Jaylon Tyson and the potential loss of Isaac Okoro, who is a restricted free agent.

So, what does Cleveland need to do in order to have a successful 2024-25 season?

Here are three things that must happen.

One of the biggest needs present on the Cavs’ current roster is a three-and-D wing.

The Cavaliers thought they had that in Okoro, but he has been a rather significant disappointment since being selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft and is coming off of a miserable postseason showing.

Cleveland specifically needs a large wing who can defend some of the bigger swingmen in the Eastern Conference (e.g. Jayson Tatum and Paul George). The Cavs don’t really have that at the moment, which is why there have been rumors about them potentially pursuing Brooklyn Nets forwards Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith as well as New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram.

The Cavaliers have a rather small lineup in general, featuring a triumvirate of Max Strus, Mitchell and Darius Garland (Strus is the tallest member of that group at 6-foot-5). They need someone who is 6-foot-7 or above to effectively guard bigger wings.

Evan Mobley is a gifted player. There is no doubt about that. However, his production somewhat stagnated over the last couple of seasons.

After averaging 16 points and nine rebounds per game in 2022-23, Mobley proceeded to register 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds a night this past season.

Yes, Mobley improved his efficiency a bit, but he still hasn’t really expanded his range, and his offensie repertoire remains basically unchanged.

Some have surmised that moving Jarrett Allen and placing a floor-spacing big alongside of Mobley up front would allow him to blossom, but great players should be able to flourish (or at least show signs of improvement) regardless of their situation.

Can young players be inhibited or have their growth stunted? Of course, but Mobley is preparing to enter his fourth season. By now, he should be taking it upon himself to get better.

In order for the Cavaliers to truly have a successful campaign next season, Mobley will have to show quite a bit more improvement than he did this past year.

If there is any member of Cleveland’s “core four” that stands a significant chance of being traded between now and October, it’s Darius Garland.

Will Garland be dealt? Probably not, but if the right offer comes along, the Cavs may feel urged to pull the trigger.

Garland is coming off of a rather lackluster 2023-24 campaign in which he averaged 18 points per game on 44.6/37.1/83.4 shooting splits. He was even worse in the playoffs, recording 15.7 points a night while posting a true-shooting percentage of 52.2 percent.

There have been a lot of questions about whether or not Garland can play alongside of Mitchell, but he didn’t seem to have much of an issue doing so in 2022-23 when he tallied 21.6 points per game in what was the most efficient season of his career.

Durability has certainly been a problem for Garland, as he appeared in just 57 games this past season and has never played 70 in any one campaign.

But it also seemed pretty clear that Garland looked a bit out of place this year, which lends credence to the notion that perhaps he isn’t exactly the best backcourt fit with Mitchell long term.

If Garland gets off to a slow start in 2024-25, don’t be surprised if the Cavaliers seriously entertain trading him before the deadline.

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Cleveland, OH

How to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New Orleans Pelicans game tonight: Time, Streaming, Breakdown

Published

11 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

How to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New Orleans Pelicans game tonight: Time, Streaming, Breakdown

Oh man, what a great game to watch as a Cavs fan. The Cavaliers pulled out a massive win against the Hornets, getting revenge for their overtime loss. Offense was on fire, Darius Garland had a double-double. Donovan Mitchell had 30 for himself, and we saw the return of De’Andre Hunter dominance in a 139-132 win.

Now the Cavaliers (16-14) play another team that has yet to reach the 10 win mark in the New Orleans Pelicans (8-22). They should not be taken lightly though as they have recently had a resurgence in the season with a five game winning streak.

They have not let rumors of some big trades affect them in this run either. Zion has not played a ton of games yet but since his return the team has looked rejuvenated under interim head coach James Borrego.

The win against the Hornets was massive for the Cavs with Owner Dan Gilbert being reportedly very concerned and players like Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen being in trade rumors.

Watching last night’s game, one of the few concerns should be centered around the defense. Up by as much as 19 in the fourth quarter, they only won by 7 in the end.

It was one win for the Cavaliers, but it felt like an earned win that could flip the season. Cleveland is still being patient with reigning Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson despite the rough start.

Where to find the Pelicans vs. Cavs game tonight?

Channel: FanDuel Sports Network – Ohio

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Pelicans vs. Cavs Injury Report

Pelicans: Dejounte Murray (achilles) is out.

Cavs: Max Strus (foot) is out. Larry Nance Jr. (knee) is out. Evan Mobley (calf) is out.

Probable Starting Lineups

Pelicans

Pelicans vs. Cavaliers predictions, odds, best bets

Odds: Cavaliers by 9.5

O/U: 244.5

Cavaliers 134 , Pelicans 125: Defense seems to be the question here. They can score as much as they want, but can the Cavs with Evan Mobley stop a team from scoring a ton.

New Orleans is among the worst defensive teams in points allowed in a game and are worse than the Cavs when it comes to rebounding, which is a rare occurrence this season. Cleveland has all the tools to go out and blow out the Pelicans if they can get their team together.

Cavaliers 2025-2026 Schedule

Thursday, Dec. 25 @ New York

Saturday Dec. 27 @ Houston

Monday, Dec. 29 @ San Antonio

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Cleveland, OH

VIDEO: Cavaliers Center Humbled By Big Tumble After Taunting Opponent

Published

23 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

VIDEO: Cavaliers Center Humbled By Big Tumble After Taunting Opponent

Cavs center Thomas Bryant thought he had the rookie, until he didn’t.

PublishedDecember 22, 2025 9:56 PM EST•UpdatedDecember 23, 2025 12:45 AM EST

Cleveland Cavaliers center Thomas Bryant learned the hard way that karma moves quicker than Donovan Mitchell in transition.

Bryant was on the wrong side of a replay after backing down Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel for a hook shot.

The journeyman center couldn’t resist an over-the-top celebration … so Bryant flexed his way downcourt, hitting the “too small” gesture at the 20-year-old. Then, gravity struck. Hard.

CLEVELAND, OH – DECEMBER 22: Miles Bridges #0 of the Charlotte Hornets drives to the basket as Thomas Bryant #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers plays defense during the game on December 22, 2025 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)

Bryant tripped over thin air, barrel-rolling across the hardwood as he ran back on defense. The Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd went from cheers to raspberries … with the tumbling Bryant looking very small on the floor.

WATCH:

There’s no question Bryant wishes he were riding the same high that Kon has all season.

The rook is leading the Rookie of the Year race, averaging 19.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. While Bryant celebrated his layup against a smaller defender, Knueppel celebrated his 100th made three-point shot in just 29 games.

Social media roasted the big man for celebrating too early. “Ball don’t lie is undefeated. Don’t disrespect the opponent when you’re ‘Thomas Bryant,’” one fan posted on X.

The 6-foot-10 vet, who inked a deal with Cleveland this offseason to add some interior muscle, is not expected to do much from the limited scorer.

Go for the fist pump next time, pal.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela

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Cleveland, OH

Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers Preview: Game 29 – At The Hive

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers Preview: Game 29 – At The Hive

What: Charlotte Hornets (9-19) (3-11 away) at Cleveland Cavaliers (15-14) (9-8 home)

When: 7:00pm Eastern

Where: Rocket Arena; Cleveland, OH

How to watch: Peacock, FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass

Outfitting: Hornets–Statement (purple), Cavaliers–City (orange)

Game Lines: Hornets +9.5, Hornets money line +310, O/U 238.5

Injuries:
Hornets: LaMelo Ball-probable (wrist), Ryan Kalkbrenner-questionable (elbow), Collin Sexton-doubtful (quad), Grant Williams-out (knee)

Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell-probable (illness), Craig Porter Jr.-probable (illness), Sam Merrill-probable (hand), Evan Mobley-out (calf), Larry Nance Jr-out (calf), Max Strus-out (foot)

The Hornets are finally getting healthier (for now). LaMelo Ball clearly tweaked his wrist getting knocked over during a brutally physical game against the Pistons, but he seems to be no worse for the wear. Kalkbrenner apparently took a knock too, but he could still gut it out. Sexton probably isn’t playing, but the fact that he’s gone from out to doubtful means that he’s close. That leaves Grant Williams as the only remaining injured Hornet as he works back from the torn ACL he suffered last year. Knock on wood.

They should be feeling good about their chances tonight. They may have gotten drubbed by the Pistons, but they will remember that they beat this very seem Cavs team in this very same arena just eight days ago. Kon Knueppel led the way with 29 points while Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges chipped in decent games as well. And LaMelo didn’t even play. He’s only going to add to the offensive firepower.

The Cavs, meanwhile, played two games against the Bulls between that last meeting and now, and they lost them both by double digits. Both games followed roughly the same pattern. The Cavs were able to score just fine, but they had no answer for a Bulls offense that’s pretty mediocre. A Hornets team with LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel should have no problem scoring points. They’ll just need to keep Donovan Mitchell reasonably in check, and they have a chance to take another game in Cleveland.

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