The Cleveland Cavaliers are shocking the world during the 2021/22 NBA season. The 2016 NBA champions are finally seeing there’s hope without having to rely on LeBron James. They are one of the best teams in the East right now, and things can only get better for them.
After assembling a team with young players like Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, injured Collin Sexton and veterans like Ricky Rubio, Kevin Love and more, this team has found the balance to compete against the favorites in the Eastern Conference.
Even without Sexton and Rubio, the Cavs keep showing their quality, ranking 3rd in the East, only trailing the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, surpassing teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets.
They’re still young and have plenty of room to improve, but some people are already placing them among the best teams in the East. ESPN analyst and former Cavaliers player Kendrick Perkins is really high on the young Cavs, claiming their ceiling is the Eastern Conference finals this season (1:08).
“When you look at this Cavs team, I’m watching them; they have these twin towers in Allen and Mobley, and the way that they’re protecting the basket is something beautiful to watch,” Perkins said on a recent episode of NBA Today. “They might be the best defensive tandem as far as bigs in the NBA. … Then you have the setup guy in Garland. Look, Garland is a phenomenal talent. Something about Garland says ‘superstar’ written all over it.”
“When I look at the Cleveland Cavaliers, hear me out, in the Eastern Conference; their ceiling is the conference finals,” he added. “No team in the East wants to see them in the first or the second round. I’m saying it here right now.”
Talented as they are, it’s hard to see the Cavs going beyond the second round this campaign. They have a young group of players who is yet to play in the postseason. Although they do have some veterans with championship experience, the core doesn’t have any.
The Heat, Bulls, Nets, Bucks, and Sixers are the five favorite teams to come out of the East this campaign. It’s hard to see the Cavs getting past them in the postseason, but anything can happen once the playoffs arrive. Still, if it’s not this season, they will have the chance to thrive in the following years. The young core can make big things in the league and they should take advantage of that.
