Cleveland Cavaliers: 10 truths about the 2019-2020 season

Ten truths–good and bad–about the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Wine & Gold embark on a new season with new head coach John Beilein.

1. At times, defense will only be a rumor for the Cleveland Cavaliers. What can you expect with the Cavs leaning so heavily on three rookies. Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr., in particular, are going to be put on skates. They’re both 19 and didn’t get a lot of experience in their lone season of college ball.

2. Darius Garland will remind us of another high draft pick that burst onto the scene in 2011. Yeah, that’s right, Kyrie Irving. Garland has the range and showed some serious skills getting to the hoop. His fishing still needs a lot of work, as he had some ugly misses while driving to the rack in the preseason. That said, you’ll find yourself thinking about Kyrie when watching the fifth overall pick.

3. Collin Sexton is going to lead the team in scoring. Sexton really come on in the second half of last season, and his scoring ways carried over into the preseason, breeding optimism for the 2019-2020 campaign.

4. Kevin Love is what’s going to keep this team competitive in games. The Cavs were 7-9 last season when Love played at least 15 minutes. His ability to stretch the floor, in addition to him being a defensive rebounding maven, are the reasons Cavs will be in games.

5. At times, the offense is going to be hard to watch as either Garland or Sexton dribble at the top of the key and wings make unproductive cuts.

6. There’s going to be moments fans won’t believe the Cavs were able to select Kevin Porter Jr. at the end of the first round of last summer’s draft. Unfortunately, there’s going to be a lot more moments where Porter reminds us he’s an iso scorer who’s extremely inefficient.

7. Time is running on Cedi Osman as a starter. We’ve seen enough of the Turkish star to know that is defense is “blah” and while he usually makes good decisions on offense, he doesn’t hit enough shots. That said, he’s better than anyone the Cavs have on Opening Night.  Look for Dylan Windler to eventually take over.

8. The Cavs will be the center of trade rumors, especially since the team is carrying five expiring contracts. Kevin Love speculation will dominate the interwebs of Twitter, but it’s hard to believe teams are all that excited right now about acquiring a 31-year-old with a hefty injury history.  Jordan Clarkson will remain the team’s most underrated player.

9. Brandon Knight is going to draw some trade interest. He’s finally healthy and figures to get playing time backing up young bucks Garland and Sexton. Knight could be a real asset for a contending team, as one writer concocted a trade to Philly.

10. It’s going to be bad, so put on your scouts hat every time you go to the building formerly known as Quicken Loans Arena and embrace player development. Huzzah!!

The Cavs are simply just too young to even think about competing for the playoffs. A trip to the lottery, where LaMelo Ball is in play, is a lot more likely.