The 2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers’ Season Preview
September 16th, 2024
by Alan Lu
The Cavaliers continued to build on from last season, as they were good all year long, and they received standout play from their quartet of stars, namely from Donovan Mitchell. This was enough for them to defeat Orlando in their first round series, but they fell short and lost to Boston in their second round series of the 2024 playoffs. The Cavaliers decided to make some changes, as they surprisingly fired JB Bickerstaff, hired Kenny Atkinson to be their new head coach, and they also selected Jaylon Tyson in the 2024 NBA Draft. They also brought in a few other players, such as JT Thor, who played well for South Sudan this summer, but as of right now, they still have not re-signed restricted free agent Isaac Okoro.
This year, they return most of their core players. While there’s a lot of competition amongst teams to be the team to make it out of the East, the Cavaliers will be a more experienced team that could be poised to make a deeper playoff run this time around.
Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are two superstar guards that will likely lead the Cleveland Cavaliers back to the playoffs in 2024.
(Photo: Ron Schwane/The Associated Press, via Akron Beacon Journal)
Star Players:
G Donovan Mitchell, G Darius Garland, F-C Evan Mobley, and C Jarrett Allen
Donovan Mitchell is a very athletic scoring guard that has been known to turn in some sterling performances, such as a 71-point game in 2023. Garland has really turned the corner to become an All-Star point guard over the years, and he is a dynamic playmaker that has emerged as one of the best point guards in the East. Mobley and Allen are two very good defensive big men that will help anchor the paint.
Additions:
G-F Jaylon Tyson, F-C JT Thor, and F Luke Travers
The Cavaliers were able to add some young bench players that could play some minutes throughout this season. Tyson is a strong, physical wing that projects into a 3 and D role. JT Thor is an athletic big man that can space the floor and offer rim protection. Luke Travers is a high-motor, energetic forward that will hustle and play defense.
Subtractions:
F Marcus Morris, C Tristan Thompson, C Damian Jones, and F-C Isaiah Mobley
The Cavaliers lost a slew of role players, but they managed to re-sign Isaac Okoro in time just before the start of preseason. Losing Marcus Morris may hurt them a bit, as he provided scoring and toughness in a supporting role for them last year.
Tristan Thompson was a member of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers’ team, as his energy, rim protection, and defense proved vital for them that year. Damian Jones is a two-time NBA champion that won with the 2017 and 2018 Warriors, and has been a backup center in the association. Isaiah Mobley is Evan Mobley’s older brother, and Isaiah Mobley is a skilled big man that has the talent to play in this league.
Rookies:
G-F Jaylon Tyson and F Luke Travers
The Cavaliers added a couple of talented rookies, as Tyson played very well at the Las Vegas Summer League, and his strong all-around play there could earn him a shot to make the team’s rotation this season, even with the abundance of talent they have on their roster. Travers boasts having a winning pedigree after coming from the NBL, and his ability to make hustle plays and defend could endear him to this team, as he could end up seeing some minutes as the season progresses.
Expected Rotation:
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen will lead the Cavaliers to have a strong defensive unit once again for the 2023-24 NBA season.
(Photo: John Kuntz/Cleveland.com)
The Cavaliers have a talented group of starters, and they are a very good defensive unit due to having Mobley and Allen fortify their interior. On offense, they have two dynamic guards to power their offense. But the issues may come in the postseason, because the fit may be very clunky, because they have two non-shooting big men and two very small guards, so they don’t have the versatility to match up to different opponents.
Projected Starting Lineup:
Key Bench Players:
Caris LeVert is a solid all-around player whose versatility and skill set will prove to be helpful, and Isaac Okoro will provide energy, tough defense, and hopefully some shooting for the Cavaliers this season. (Photo: Kirk Irwin/Getty Images, via Right Down Euclid)
The Cavaliers have a crew of solid role players that will help their bench, and Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert lead a solid bench heading into the 2024-25 NBA season.
G-F Isaac Okoro
The Rest of the Roster:
G-F Jaylon Tyson
F-C JT Thor (Two-Way)
F Emoni Bates (Two-Way)
F Luke Travers (Two-Way)
Head Coach:
Kenny Atkinson boasts having a strong resume and pedigree, as he will lead the Cavaliers into the 2024-25 season.
(Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images, via Fansided’s King James Gospel)
Kenny Atkinson
2023-24 (GSW): assistant coach
Coaching Career: 118-190, 1-4 in the NBA playoffs
Kenny Atkinson is known for leading D’Angelo Russell’s 2019 Brooklyn Nets team to a 42-40 record and to the first round of the playoffs, and he also was an assistant coach on the 2022 Golden State Warriors that won the NBA championship that season. He also was an assistant coach on Team France to help guide their team to a Silver Medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Atkinson has a knack for getting the most out of role players, and he will get the Cavaliers to play a team system and will likely get them to make it back to the playoffs in 2025.
NBA Head Coach Rank: 18
Outlook:
The Cleveland Cavaliers look to be poised to make it back to the playoffs in 2025, but questions remain if they will make a deep run in the postseason once they get there.
(Photo: David Liam Kyle/Getty Images, via Axios)
The Cavaliers have a talented group of starters, as well as a proven veteran in Max Strus, so that will help them win a lot of regular season games. They met expectations last season, as they defeated Orlando in their first round series, but lost to Boston in the second round of the 2024 playoffs. However, they were dissatisfied with JB Bickerstaff’s coaching in the playoffs, so they fired him and replaced him with Kenny Atkinson, as they are hoping that Atkinson can change their postseason fortunes for the better. If they can, then the future will be very bright for them. Otherwise, they could be an entertaining, upper mid-tier playoff team this season.
Projected 2024-25 Finish:
Expected Win-Loss Record: 49-33
Projected Regular Season Finish: 2nd in the Western Conference
Expected Playoff Finish: Projected to lose in the 1st Round
Preseason NBA Power Ranking: 10
I went to Basketball-Reference and SalarySwish to look up some information for this write-up. It will be an exciting basketball season this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing the in-season tournament to see how that will unfold. Anyways, that is my write-up on my preview of the 2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers. Thanks for reading.