Cavs: 5 Christmas presents the team gave us this year

The Cleveland Cavs had a rough year but gave fans plenty of optimism with some stellar young talent, a crop of good vets, and a whole heap of optimism.

The Cavs are currently the only losing team in Cleveland, unfortunately. The team is still in the middle of its rebuild but that doesn’t mean that the team will remain that way forever. Yes, since 2003, the only winning seasons have come with LeBron James on the roster, but there was an entire era of winning before he ever arrived.

It’s good to remember also that winning isn’t everything. Sometimes the journey is just as fun. The Cavs are a young team, with interesting pieces, and the opportunity to position themselves into an opportunity to compete for the playoffs. To get there, however, there’s going to be some growing pains.

So while we’re building a contender, it’s important to enjoy this time of growth and development.

These are the five Christmas gifts we’re thankful for from the Cavs in 2020.

The Hope of Isaac Okoro

Isaac Okoro was not near the top of the list of talents I was hoping the Cavs would draft, but he’s here and that means he’s ours. Okoro will be a talent to watch, he’s incredibly gifted defensively, which will play into another gift on this list. He could be the final piece to propel this team forward.

Kevin Love and Larry Nance’s leadership

Kevin Love has been a force since the pandemic started. Talking openly about his struggles with his mental health, as well as leading the way with trying to support the area. The same goes for Larry Nance, who’s trying to support local businesses during the 2020-2021 season.

A free All-Star center

The Cavs literally sent over expiring deals of players they didn’t want and got back Andre Drummond. An All-Star for two beaten up veterans. What a heist.

A sense of identity

The Cavs are now going to be installing a grit-and-grind type of mentality under their new head coach. That’s part of the reason Okoro was drafted, to help facilitate a better defensive scheme. Hopefully, it pans out.

Stable leadership in J.B. Bickerstaff

The Cavs are on their fourth head coach in two seasons, but none of the other coaches have had any real sense of support like J.B. Bickerstaff has had. Getting a player they hope can turn into a great two-way player, and bypassing some more exciting prospects is a pretty nice sign that the team wants to give Bickerstaff every chance to succeed.