5 who will most affect Cavs’ postseason fate
In late September, Darius Garland said he was putting the playoffs over personal goals, even though the Cavaliers’ third-year point guard seems poised for a breakout season.
Throughout training camp, Garland’s message didn’t waver.
“We want to compete for a playoff spot. We want to win more games. That’s the talk around the locker room,” Garland told Cavs media members on Oct. 13. “It’s not just one person, it’s about the Cavs, it’s about the organization. We’re trying to get to the playoffs, that’s our thing.”
In the previous three years of the team’s rebuild, the Cavs won 19, 19, and 22 games. Now they believe it is time to rise from the league’s downtrodden.
As the Cavs opened the season Wednesday night against the Grizzlies in Memphis, the organization made .LetEmKnow as the team’s theme. A preview video features Garland, second-year guard Isaac Okoro and rookie center Evan Mobley. The voiceover explained that this is “an opportunity to show the world exactly who we are.”
Who they are - or who they hope to be - is a young, exciting, fast-paced team. What sets the Cavs apart is their big men, with Jarrett Allen one inch shy of giving them four 7-footers. But coach J.B. Bickerstaff also wants the Cavs to be more “modern,” which means making more than 10 3-pointers per game, next-tolast in the league in 2020-21.
Here are the five players (in order) who will have the most impact on the Cavs’ hopes of qualifying for the NBA’s play-in tournament.
Evan Mobley
The third overall pick ‘s preseason progress has been so impressive that it’s not out of the realm that the 7-foot center/forward from USC could be the best player in his draft class. His passing has impressed the Cavs guards. His versatility allows Bickerstaff to play him alongside Allen, or in a three-big lineup with Kevin Love or Lauri Markkanen.
Mobley will help the Cavs improve their defensive rating (120.4) that ranked 29th in the league last season. But as he gains confidence, Mobley is starting to show a flair for the spectacular, usually with an aggressive move or a dunk. “I think he has a lot of potential,” 11-year veteran point guard Ricky Rubio said on Oct. 10. “If you see video of how he played the first game against Chicago to tonight it seems like it’s been two different seasons and it’s just been a week.”
Bickerstaff loves that Mobley’s desire never wanes, even when he makes a mistake.
“He’s going to keep coming no matter what happens and then the talent that he has is going to take over,” Bickerstaff said on Oct. 13.
Mobley, 20, has intangibles that belie his age. That coupled with his skillset could speed up the Cavs’ return to playoff contention.
“His defensive instincts are extremely unique for a player his age and experience level,” Bickerstaff said on Oct. 6. “His understanding of the game and where to be and what’s next is phenomenal.”
Lauri Markkanen
A restricted free-agent power forward acquired from the Chicago Bulls in a multi-team deal on Aug. 27, Markkanen stands 7-feet, but he’s the 3-point shooter the Cavs desperately needed. He’s shot .366 from beyond the arc during his four years, including a career-best .402 last season.
“I know people keep talking about shooting, shooting, shooting, but he’s not a one-dimensional player,” Bickerstaff said on Oct. 8. “He’s got a complete skill set. It’s a defensive rebound ability and push the ball, he makes good decisions. He has a lot of perimeter guard skills, even at that size, so we need to make sure we’re doing the job and utilizing them all.”
With the Cavs, Markkanen has shown he can play the 3, which means more flexibility for Bickerstaff and perhaps more minutes for Love.
“We’ve been extremely pleased with what he’s been able to do at that spot and he’s proven to be effective there,” Bickerstaff said on Oct. 12 of Markkanen at the 3. “It’s not like one of those things where we’re putting him out of position and he can’t be successful.”
Markkanen, Love and Rubio led a second unit that at times outplayed the starters. Markkanen could be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate if he doesn’t split the vote with his two teammates.
Looking for a fresh start and a perfect fit for the Cavs’ core at age 24, Markkanen could have a surprising impact.
Darius Garland
The fifth overall pick in 2019, Garland made a huge jump last season, averaging 17.4 points (up from 12.3 in 2019-20), 6.1 assists (3.9) and shooting .451 (.401) from the field. There is no longer a doubt that Garland is the starting point guard and, although he’s just 21, he’s ready to assume the leadership role that requires.
“I’m ready for it. Just taking time. Just trying to step out of my shell,” Garland said on Oct. 13.
As Garland tries to be more vocal, Bickerstaff has seen the change.
“He’s in the forefront all the time,” Bickerstaff said on Sept. 29. “He’s the guy that is bringing us in and breaking us down. We’re huddling up and he’s one of the guys that I see staring me in my face. He’s made those changes with his acceptance of the role and the confidence in himself and understanding what the team needs.
“He wants to make a difference and he knows in order for a difference to be made, he has to be different and he has to do more. He’s willing to take that on.”
But the Cavs need more 3-point shooting from Garland, who has averaged 1.9 3s and 5.0 long-range attempts in two seasons. Bickerstaff wants Garland to have 30-point nights with eight or nine assists, which will draw in defenses and create opportunities for his teammates, especially the big men.
Ricky Rubio
Acquired in a draft-day trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rubio, 30, is playing on an expiring contract and could be dealt before the Feb. 10 deadline. But he can teach the young Cavs much before then, especially Garland. Rubio has played with Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns and D’Angelo Russell of the Timberwolves and greatly helped in their development.
Rubio can also be the driving force in the Cavs’ up-tempo offense, his energy igniting them even in preseason.
“He’s one of the best in the league at throwing the ball ahead and helping his teammates get easy buckets,” Bickerstaff said on Oct. 6. “He’s one of the best in the league at reading defenses and finding guys on cuts, when he’s penetrated the lane. When he has the ball in his hands, everybody’s a threat.”
Bickerstaff said on media day he believed Rubio is a “starting point guard in this league ... a top-tier point guard.”
“He wants this to be the best year of his career, and we’re going to give him an opportunity to achieve that,” Bickerstaff said that day. Bickerstaff said on Oct. 12 he wants to get starter’s minutes for Rubio and Markkanen’s versatility might allow him to go with a nine-man rotation instead of Bickerstaff ’s planned 10.
Kevin Love
Even if he’s coming off the bench, Love will have as much to do with whether or not the Cavs play a postseason game as the four players previously mentioned. Having a healthy Love, even at age 33, makes a huge difference in terms of floor spacing. He remains one of the best rebounders in the league and his touchdown passes, if up to his pre-pandemic standards, will be key in the Cavs picking up the pace. He shot .438 from 3-point range in 65 minutes of five preseason games.
“I think the reports of his demise have been exaggerated,” Bickerstaff said on Oct. 14.
But two major questions loom. First, can he stay healthy? A calf injury limited Love to 25 games last season and prompted him to quit the 2021 Olympic team. He’s missed 161 out of 383 games since he helped the Cavs win the 2016 NBA title.
Second, can he remain engaged? Since LeBron James left for the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018, that hasn’t been the case for Love when the Cavs have struggled. Couple that with the reality that he’s now a member of the second unit.
“I think he’s in a great space,” Bickerstaff said of Love on Oct. 15. “We always talk about sacrifice, and it’s always easy until it’s you that has to make the sacrifice. But I give Kevin a ton of credit. He came into what could have been a difficult or awkward or uncomfortable situation, and he made it easy on everybody. So you have to tip your hat to him. We feel like there’s still a lot left in the tank, and I think he’s shown that this preseason.”
If the Cavs get some semblance of the 2016 version of Love, making the play-in tournament might not be shooting high enough.