Cleveland Cavaliers 2022-2023 NBA season preview and predictions

Season Predictions

Player Awards

The Cavs should have three All-Stars this year, maybe four. I think Donovan Mitchell is going, and so is Jarrett Allen. Darius Garland should, but his stats may be impacted the most by the arrival of Mitchell. If the Cavs are just running teams out of the gym, it’ll be hard to say that 16 points and eight assists wouldn’t be enough for Garland to make the All-Star Game. Evan Mobley has a shot, but we’ll see how his stats look.

As for post-season stuff, I predict J.B. Bickerstaff will win the Coach of the Year, and Allen will win the Defensive Player of the Year Award. I also think Kevin Love will win the Sixth Man of the Year Award, as Tyler Herro will likely get into the starting lineup as the season goes on and his Heat struggle. And yes, I think the Heat will fall off.

Record Prediction

This is the best-looking Cavaliers team on paper I’ve ever seen. The best season the team ever had regular season-wise, was in 2008-2009, where they won 66 games. I actually think that’s a record they can get close to. 60+ games is what I’m expecting, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they hit 67.

Playoff Prediction

I could say they’ll win the NBA Title, but I’m not confident that they’re going to be that good. The Cavs need a small forward in their starting five who can stretch the court and hit threes, and then they need a player like Isaac Okoro who can play defense at a high level but can also hit his shots. If Okoro’s jump shot is better and becomes that guy, then the Cavs just need a three-point shooter for their rotation. As for the starter at SF, someone like Corey Kispert is really all the team needs. So we’ll see if the Cavs make a swing for someone during the season.