The Cleveland Cavaliers had a quality, but tumultuous 2023-24 season. Dealing with a plethora of issues (as all teams must), the smoke has finally settled on the regular season enough to look at it as a whole. Starting off slow, then playing like the best team in the league before struggling to finish the season strong, it was a rollercoaster. With the NBA Playoffs officially set and almost underway, here’s a Cleveland Cavaliers regular season recap.
Donovan Mitchell, averaging 26.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists, was sensational this season. He was in and out dealing with injuries and illness, but his early play put him in the conversation for MVP.
Darius Garland also played well, averaging 18 points, 6.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds. He lost about 12 pounds of muscle after a surgery after bulking up in the offseason, and struggled with turnovers, but overall was a plus for the team.
Evan Mobley elevated his game, but not in the way people expected. Almost averaging a double double with 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds, added an outside shot to his game. With a newfound three point shot landing with consistency (37.3 percent), he can now add stretching the floor to his repertoire.
Jarrett Allen did average a double double, with 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. Providing a steady presence in the paint, Allen posted a team high 63.4 field goal percentage.
Max Strus, an off-season addition, was a quality pickup for the Cavaliers. His play was inconsistent, but his season included a record-setting debut and a record-setting buzzer beater.
The Cavaliers suffered a number of injuries this season. Currently on the injured list are Dean Wade, Sam Merrill, Caris LeVert, Craig Porter Jr, Ty Jerome, Garland and Mitchell.
Allen started the season out, although playing most of the season. Garland and Mitchell’s play were both sporadic throughout the season dealing with various injuries. Mobley also missed time with multiple injuries, and Jerome missed basically the entire season.
The only Cavalier to play every game was Georges Niang. Despite these injuries, there was a silver lining.
With a total of 20 different unique starting lineups employed this season, the Cavaliers had to work with what they had. Through this experimentation, certain unexpected players were given the runway to break out.
Having to dig deep into their roster, many Cavs got quality minutes. Merrill, starting the season expected to be a Charge member, shot his way into a rotational role with exceptional accuracy. He has the highest three point percentage on the team (40.4 percent) with at least 15 games played.
Porter Jr, too, was an excellent surprise for Cleveland. Going undrafted, Cleveland signed Porter Jr to a two-way contract. Due to injuries, he was brought up from the Charge and got real minutes. In that time, he put up a 50.9 percent field goal percentage and earned a four year extension. Fun fact, he has the highest field goal percentage on the team excluding the four and five positions.
Marcus Morris Sr, joining the team late in the season, was also able to quickly make an impact. Although his numbers aren’t the best, he brings an energy off the bench that sparks the squad with intensity. Tristan Thompson had a similar effect before missing games due to a suspension. He’s been solid since, but not quite as electric.
Points: Mitchell (26.6)
Rebounds: Allen (10.5)
Assists: Garland (6.5)
Steals: Mitchell (1.8)
Blocks: Mobley (1.4)
Three-pointers per game: Mitchell (3.3)
Defensive rating: Mobley (108.5)
Minutes per game: Mitchell (35.3)
As mentioned above, injuries plagued this team all season. There were good things that came out of how the Cavaliers handled those injuries, but they no doubt capped this team’s ceiling.
Turnovers also led to many losses, with points piling up off of Cavalier fumbles.
The team as a whole struggled with consistency. Since the all star break they posted a number of games which approached both their season high and low point performances. Neither play nor health were consistent, and one can only imagine what this team would have looked like firing on all cylinders all season.
The Cavaliers kick off their first round series against the Orlando Magic this Saturday (April 20) at 1:00 pm.
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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
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