All-Star Break Awards: Is Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell the squad MVP?

What Cleveland Cavaliers are in the lead for the major awards for the squad?

Each year the NBA hands out yearly awards to the players for various achievements. Those awards involve the Most Valuable Player, the Defensive Player of the Year, the Sixth Man of the Year, and others. Well, we’re doing our own version of that, but with the Cleveland Cavaliers only. We’ll be looking at the players who would or should win that specific award among the team only.

These aren’t the final selections, just who looks to have the award at this point in the season, as the NBA is on their All-Star break. But first, we have to admit there is no reason for the Rookie of the Year Award for this squad, as there is no true rookie.

So the first award is going to actually be the Best New Addition for 2023 Award.

Best New Addition: Donovan Mitchell

Runner Up: Raul Neto

The team drafted Ochai Agbaji out of Kansas in the offseason, with the idea that he’d become a three-and-D wing for the team. He was instead packaged with Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkannen, and a slew of first-round picks in a trade for Donovan Mitchell; formerly of the Utah Jazz.

Agbaji was the Cavs’ front-runner to be the Rookie of the Year, but his trade made us change the award. Since the Cavs didn’t have any rookies on their squad, at least none who are actually getting minutes, we thought looking at guys who recently joined the team would work.

The biggest new acquisition is without a doubt Donovan Mitchell, who has elevated the expectations of the Cavs to title contenders in his first year on the squad. That alone makes him the biggest new addition.