The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the most confusing and questionable futures in the NBA. They currently have the worst record in the Eastern Conference but yet they traded for former all star and rebounding specialist Andre Drummond at the NBA trade deadline. The Cavaliers also have a weird mix of youth and veteran presence on the team. Today we are going to be anaylzing the Cleveland Cavaliers roster and the direction they are heading in moving forward.
The Cleveland Cavaliers most valuable pieces in their rebuild is rookie Darius Garland and sophomore Collin Sexton. Their fit and development will largely impact the future of this Cleveland Cavaliers team. So far this season Colin Sexton is averaging 19.8 points per game while shooting 46% from the field and 37% from 3 point range. As for Garland, in his rookie year he is averaging 12.2 points per game, 3.8 assists per game as well as shooting 39% from the field and 35% from 3. Garland has been struggling in his rookie year largely due to him sharing the ball with Collin Sexton, as well as getting used to the NBA in general.
Sexton and Garland both have lots of strengths and weaknesses. Sexton is great at attacking the basket and has even improved his ability to get steals. Sexton also has lots of weak areas he needs to improve in. The biggest concern is his playmaking ability. Sexton is not a willing passer and not a good playmaker. This is a big concern as a 6″1 guard who is supposed to be one of your franchise cornerstones moving forward. Sexton has a bad turnover to assist ratio and has tunnel vision when attacking the basket. He doesn’t look for shooters when attacking the basket. Sexton does lots of isolation which hinders Garland’s game. Sexton also has shown to have a low shot I.Q and hasn’t shown lots of leadership abilities. As for Garland, he has great shot mechanics and can create his own shot using his great ballhandling ability. Garland is also a willing passer and is good in the drive and kick. Garland’s main concerns are playing off the ball as well as him not being a very efficient finisher at the rim. He also needs to work on his play on the defensive side of the ball as well as staying consistent. If Garland get’s stronger it will help him finish more efficiently as well as help him on the defensive end. Both these players have shown flashes of greatness as well as proving they have a lot of areas that need improvement. However both these players are under 22 years of age and have lots of time to improve their games.
The biggest concern for this future backcourt duo is their fit and if they can grow to be great alongside each other. This has been a major question since the Cavaliers drafted Garland in the 2019 NBA Draft. So far their fit together has not been good. Both players game’s don’t mesh well and will most likely not translate to future success. Sexton and Garland are both ball dominant players who I personally think can’t co-exist. Their development and growth will most likely be stunted if they play a majority of their minutes alongside each other. The Cavaliers have many different options with their Sexton and Garland duo. They could try to develop them as a backcourt duo and if it doesn’t work out in the future, they can explore trading one of them. The other option is moving Collin Sexton into a bench role moving forward. I could see Collin Sexton being a great isolation player who provides a spark off the bench rather then being a decent starting guard. I think the Sexton and Garland situation is the biggest question the Cavaliers need to answer moving forward.
The Sexton and Garland situation isn’t the only confusing part about their future. Another confusing variable involving the future of the Cavaliers is the drama within the organization. When Lebron James was still in Cleveland, there was lots of drama surrounding the Cavaliers, but this drama and attention was expected because they had the best player in the world on their team. Now that Lebron is gone, they still have lots of drama and uncertainties in the organization even without Lebron James. There have been lots of scandals involving the Cavaliers during this season. Cavaliers players have expressed how frustrated and unhappy they are with head coach John Beilein. There seems to be a disconnect from Beilein and the players. The situation has even gotten so bad that the players have drowned out Beilein’ s voice in favour of the assistant coaches. There was also a scandal in January 2020 when Beilein referred to his players as “a bunch of thugs” during a film session. There was also an incident in January when Kevin Love got frustrated and whipped the ball at teammate Cedi Osman and overall lots of tension between Kevin Love and the Cavaliers organization. There was also some drama last season where Cavalier teammates were reportedly growing tired of Tristan Thompson and another incident where Collin Sexton was being criticized by his teammates in his rookie year from “not knowing how to play basketball”. In order for an NBA franchise to succeed, you have to keep your players happy and avoid drama. You also need good relationships between the players and build good locker room chemistry.
Another big question with the Cavaliers future is their recent addition of Andre Drummond. With Drummond stating he wants to opt into his player option, it’s looking like he’s going to be the center long-term for the Cavaliers. This move was very questionable for the Cavaliers. Although they gave up expiring contracts and a second round pick for Drummond, the fit isn’t great with Drummond. He is primarily just a stats guy who won’t translate to wins, which is problematic if you are trying to build a winning culture. It is very difficult to win with Andre Drummond as your starting center. This trade also eliminates the chances of the Cavaliers drafting projected top 3 pick James Wiseman. Wiseman is a very talented center prospect who would have fit great next to Sexton and Garland and would have given this team a clearer direction. Now the Cavaliers have a 26 year old Andre Drummond who is most likely going to be making 29 million dollars next season.
The Cavaliers also need to address their situation with former all star and NBA champion Kevin Love. Love has voiced his frustrations with the team and has even told management he “prefers to be traded”. I think moving on from Kevin Love would be best from both sides, but there are some issues revolving around the Cavaliers potentially trading Kevin Love in the offseason. Due to Love’s large and lengthy contract and regression over the past couple of seasons, it would be very difficult to find a deal for Kevin Love. If the Cavaliers are unable to trade Love, they will have him under contract until 2023. Since Kevin Love is 31 and has shown signs of regression, you will not want to keep a disgruntled Kevin Love on the roster who will be 34 years old and making 29 million dollars in the 2022-2023 season.
Another issue facing the Cavaliers future is their market. In the current NBA, your teams market size is more important then ever. You can still have a successful NBA team in a small market but it’s much more challenging and you have to have great management. In the case of the Cavaliers, they have a poor front office and are in a small market which is unattractive to big name free agents. The Cavaliers lucked out by having one of the greatest players ever to be born in Ohio and bring their city a championship. Unless the next great NBA player is born in Ohio, it is going to be very difficult to attract talent in free agency.
Although there are lots of uncertainty and doubts about the Cavaliers future, there are some bright spots on the team. I believe Darius Garland has all star potential and I think Collin Sexton can be a great scorer in this league. The Cavaliers also have Kevin Porter Jr who has shown great promise in his rookie season as an effective shooter, shot creator and wing defender. Kevin Porter Jr is only 19 years old and has potential to be a great role player for the Cavaliers moving forward. The Cavaliers also have rookie Dylan Windler who has great potential as a catch and shoot 3 point specialist. Every NBA team needs a good floor spacer and Dylan Windler has great potential as a pure shooter, as long as his teammates find him on the perimeter.
Moving forward the Cleveland Cavaliers front office has a lot of work to do. They need to figure out the Sexton and Garland situation moving forward as well as addressing the Kevin Love drama. In my personal opinion this offseason is going to be very crucial for the Cavaliers moving forward. As of right now the Cavaliers have one of the foggiest and uncertain futures in the NBA, but one offseason can change everything. The Cavaliers are going to have very high odds in this upcoming NBA draft and could potentially draft a franchise changing prospect. I also believe the Cavaliers should look for a new head coach. Beilein is just not a good fit for the Cavaliers and is very disconnected from the players. Beilein also doesn’t have his player’s trust which is a major concern moving forward. The Cavaliers may look like they are in a bad place right now, but in the NBA, one move can alter a franchise’s future. For better or for worst.
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