How Good Can The Cleveland Cavaliers Be This Year?

Charles Barkley thinks the Wine and Gold could be scary good

Author:
Jon Rudder
Oct 26, 2022 11:10 AM EDT

In this story:

We're only three games into the regular season, but the expectations for the Cleveland Cavaliers remain as high as they've been in recent memory.

The Wine and Gold had a disappointing end to the 2021-22 season culminating with a pair of losses in the NBA's Play-In Tournament to Brooklyn and Atlanta. Both players and coaches, however, point to that experience as a cornerstone for success this season.

With the offseason trade to acquire Donovan Mitchell, the emergency of Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen as All-Stars and Evan Mobley settling into his sophomore season, the Cavs are primed to take the next step in making a playoff push.

Last year the Cavs were able to sneak up on teams. This season that won't be the case, and the buzz is already building around this young core.

NBA analyst Hall of Famer Charles Barkley had a stark warning for the rest of the league for any team who draws the Wine and Gold in a playoff series.

Barkley cited the Cavs well rounded roster which features a high-caliber big men and a revamped perimeter game with the addition of Mitchell and emergence of Garland. Mitchell is off to a torrid start in his first season as a Cavalier, becoming the first player in franchise history to start a season with three-consecutive 30-point performances.

Throw in the fact that the Cavaliers have four members shooting at or above 40-percent from 3-point range and the production the Wine and Gold has seen from the likes of Kevin Love and Cedi Osman off the bench and it's easy to see why the experts are so high on the Cavaliers.

Cleveland has also gotten off to a 2-1 start largely without Garland, who was injured in a season-opening loss to the Raptors on October 19th. He's only recently resumed on-court work after suffering a lacerated eyelid and his timetable for a return remains up in the air.

The Cavs look to win their third straight when they welcome the winless Orlando Magic to town Wednesday night before heading to Boston to take on the Celtics Friday night.

-----

You may also like:

Jarrett Allen Is Picking Up Right Where He Left Off With Cavs