The Cleveland Cavaliers made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals last year. Unfortunately, they got brutally swept by the New York Knicks. This summer, Cleveland added Peyton Watson, but the core of its roster is otherwise the same. With teams in the East adding guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown, there’s more pressure on the Cavs than ever.
Last year, a ton of teams were tanking. Even some of the top teams in the conference were kind of taking a gap year. Or at least, they were supposed to be. That’s not the case this upcoming season. It seems like everyone is going for it. And while the likes of Antetokounmpo and Brown are switching teams, the Cavs are depending on the same star core.
They have talent. Donovan Mitchell is elite. Evan Mobley is an incredible defender. But with so many teams around the league – and in the East – making serious jumps forward, the Cavs are going to be under serious pressure.
Cavaliers have pressure against stacked Eastern Conference
The Miami Heat made what was the biggest move of the summer at the time. They shipped out a ton of players and picks, sending them to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Antetokounmpo.
Now, he’s set to pair up with Bam Adebayo. Not only that, but he’s going to be playing under Erik Spoelstra, who has done far more with far less on his roster over the last 10 years.
Then, there’s Brown. He’s joining a completely stacked Sixers roster. A team that bounced the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs last year. And that’s not all.
After the Sixers traded for Brown, they also signed LeBron James. So now, they’ll feature a lineup of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James, and Joel Embiid.
Then, there’s the Toronto Raptors, who could end up landing Kawhi Leonard. The Celtics restructured. The Indiana Pacers are healthy again. The Eastern Conference is going to be so much more stacked.
Watson will help improve the Cavaliers’ ceiling. But still, they are going to be under a ton of pressure to keep improving. And if the goal is to make it further than the year prior, that’s going to be a tough mountain to climb.
Mitchell will need to be an elite shot creator. James Harden will have to step it up in the postseason. Mobley will need to be more assertive on the offensive end.
Cleveland is going to have more competition than ever in the East, and it will have to match it.
