After a four-year absence, the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of participating in the NBA postseason this year.
All they have to do is win one contest in the play-in tournament in order to make the playoffs.
Cleveland finished with the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and it should have a real shot at first knocking out Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the Brooklyn Nets.
If they lose, then comes trying to overtake either the Atlanta Hawks or Charlotte Hornets to officially enter the playoffs.
Regardless of what happens, the team has a lot to feel good about.
Darius Garland Is A Star Now
A year after LeBron James left Cleveland (again), the Cavaliers had the good fortune of drafting Darius Garland with the fifth overall pick in the NBA Draft.
As a rookie, he struggled at times, especially with his shot, making just 40.1 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Garland showed considerable improvement last year, but in 2022 he became a legitimate standout.
Averaging 21.7 points and 8.6 assists a game while shooting 38.3 percent from 3-point land, he was rewarded with his first trip to the All-Star Game, which just happened to take place in Cleveland.
His biggest highlight seems to be his 41-point, 13-assist masterclass in an early March win versus the Indiana Pacers.
Darius Garland dropped a career-high 41 points tonight in the #Cavs’ win against Indiana.
Dude is on a tear of late! ⬇️🔥
Last 7 games:
28.7 Ppg
FG Pct: 54%
3pt Pct: 47%
8.7 ast pg#LetEmKnow
pic.twitter.com/eJPxxrkLUY— John Sabol (@John_Sabol) March 9, 2022
Garland is originally from Gary, Indiana, so that win and performance likely had some extra meaning for him.
He is just 22 years of age, so one has to wonder how much better he can get, especially since he won’t enter his prime for several more years.
Evan Mobley Has Serious Potential
The Cavaliers’ rookie big man Evan Mobley may not be putting up very gaudy numbers – he averaged 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds a game in the regular season – but many scouts are very high on his potential.
The thinking around the league is that he has the ability and skill-sets to eventually become something along the lines of Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers’ versatile superstar big man, or even Kevin Garnett, a Hall of Famer.
He not only has high potential as a scorer, but he can also impact the game on the defensive end.
And he's just getting started.@evanmobley | #MobleyMonday pic.twitter.com/q9ovG7rvnW
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 11, 2022
This season, he averaged 1.7 blocked shots a game, which ranks sixth in the NBA.
Mobley is one-half of an intimidating frontcourt duo for Cleveland, which includes Jarrett Allen, who, like Garland, got his first All-Star bid this season.
Once known strictly as a rebounder and rim protector, Allen expanded his offensive game a bit this season and put up 16.1 points per game on a ridiculous 67.7 percent shooting accuracy.
Defense Is The Key
The Cavs are one of the NBA’s youngest teams, and most young teams struggle with one aspect of the game in particular: defense.
But Cleveland is not your typical up-and-coming team.
It was seventh in the league in defensive rating, and it’s a quality that will give it a chance to win against almost anyone.
Defense is the key to winning championships, and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff deserves credit for getting his men to buy into that end of the floor.
This foundation can take the Cavs very far in the coming years.
NEXT: Cavaliers Seeking A Rare Win Against Kevin Durant