The Cleveland Cavaliers are no longer the dominant team they once were with LeBron James. Still, they have put together some interesting assets during their rebuilding process.
Though the post-LeBron Cavaliers are nowhere near ready to compete for an NBA Championship, their fans still have plenty of reasons to look forward to next season.
Also, they can still make some moves to get even more assets for the future, as some of their players can still draw some interest on the market. Today, we’re going to tell you how they’ll line up next season:
Bench: Jordan Clarkson, Matthew Dellavedova, Brandon Knight, Dylan Windler, Kevin Porter Jr, Ante Zizic, Larry Nance Jr.
Point Guard: Darius Garland
The Cavaliers took a major gamble with Darius Garland at the 5th overall pick in the draft. He showed glimpses of a great scoring ability but was only able to make 5 appearances before suffering a knee injury that kept him on the sidelines.
He’s a better ball-handler than Collin Sexton and should, therefore, be in charge of running the team’s offense for most of the time. The Cavaliers are going to let him grow through the mistakes during his rookie season.
Shooting Guard: Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton’s first year in the league was slightly disappointing, as everybody expected the ‘Young Bull’ to show his scoring ability early on, but kind of struggled against set defenses all year long.
Still, Sexton is one of the most talented players in the league and has a lot of upside as a scorer. He’ll be playing off-ball more often now with Garland on board. The Cavaliers are likely to give them some time to showcase their talents before deciding on whether they’ll trade one of them or not.
Small Forward: Cedi Osman
Cedi Osman has taken a couple of steps forward on his development now that the Cavaliers have given him a long leash, but he’s not going to be a superstar. Still, he’s shown that he’s capable of contributing in many areas of the game.
Osman has been a streaky shooter throughout his young career but is more than capable of knocking down three-pointers. Also, he’s a solid rebounder, has a high basketball IQ, and has also improved as an on-ball defender.
Power Forward: Kevin Love
Kevin Love barely played at all last season due to a foot injury, and while he was on the trading block for most of the season, the Cavaliers reportedly weren’t interested in moving him, at least for the time being.
Love may be Cleveland’s most valuable asset right now. People may have forgotten how good he is, but he can hit the open three, dominate both sides of the glass, and is an efficient scorer. He’ll likely be rested in back-to-backs down the stretch unless they end up trading him to a contender.
Center: Tristan Thompson
Tristan Thompson hasn’t been able to live up to his contract due to injuries and inconsistencies on both ends of the floor. Still, he’s a lock to be the team’s starter unless Ante Zizic or John Henson breakout at some point during the season.
Thompson is one of the league’s finest offensive rebounders. He’s a solid rim-running big man that can finish above the rim — but he won’t offer much upside on the offensive end for John Beilein’s team.
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