Cleveland Cavaliers are right in the middle of latest major power rankings

The month of December wasn't great to the Cleveland Cavaliers and these power rankings are reflective of that.

Apr 2, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) and guard Donovan Mitchell (45) wait along side head coach Kenny Atkinson to enter the game during the first half against the New York Knicks at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers have quickly gone from preseason betting favorites to win the Eastern conference to a 19-16 win-loss record headed into the new year.

Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson won't use it as an excuse but it's impossible not to recognize Cleveland's inability to stay healthy for a long stretch of time. Cleveland's reliance of Donovan Mitchell in clutch time isn't sustainable way to win games long-term. Cleveland is No. 27 in bench points per game as well.

Despite their flaws, Cleveland's head is above water. The team is three games above .500 and their headed into the new year with a big win over Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, and the Phoenix Suns. The Cavs defeated the Suns 129 to 113 Wednesday afternoon.

Nov 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson talks with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the second half against the Boston Celtics at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | David Dermer-Imagn Images

Cleveland slides down two spots

ESPN published their latest power rankings of all 30 NBA teams. Cleveland's No. 16 entry in the power rankings marked their first time on the bottom half of the league all season. The Cavaliers are going to have buckle up with the healthy players available considering the difficulty of their next few games.

"The Cavs also moved Lonzo Ball out of the rotation Monday, a healthy DNP-CD for their biggest offseason addition. Coach Kenny Atkinson said it was about getting Ball some rest, even though he has been struggling, and especially considering the Cavs' upcoming schedule, which includes seven of the next nine games against current playoff contenders."

ESPN's Jamal Collier

The Cavaliers won't have much more time to figure out their identity. The regular season games are going to mean more and more as the season carries on. Collecting strong wins against these upcoming opponents will go a long way in momentum and staying out of the play-in tournament.

Cavaliers upcoming schedule

Four of the next five games for Cleveland are against teams within the top-six of their conference. Two of those four games are against the Minnesota Timberwolves led by superstar guard Anthony Edwards. Their next two games to kickoff the new year are against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets along with Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons.

Goodnight & Go Bucks.@OhioStateFB | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/936u109Ivn

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 31, 2025

If the playoffs were to end today, the Cavaliers would be an eighth seed play-in tournament team. While the Eastern conference may be wide open and devoid of an outlier, the conference is still extremely competitive. Luckily for the Cavaliers, had four of their five starters available for Wednesday afternoon's game against the Suns.

Forward Jaylon Tyson was available, but coach Atkinson opted for Dean Wade to start at the small forward spot. Tyson has started 19 games this season to Wade's 11 as Atkinson tries to find the perfect lineup for the postseason. De'Andre Hunter wasn't available for the contest due to illness.