Cavs Demonstrate Bench Depth In Season Opener

Cleveland's bench combined to score 33 points in their opening game against the Toronto Raptors.

The season opener for the Cavs was a memorable one for some good reasons and some bad ones. One of the positives was a look at how deep Cleveland's bench is in 2022-2023.

One knock on last year's Cavs team is that they seriously lacked depth, especially at the wing position. A lot can be said for that but a large part of it had to do with injuries the team suffered throughout the year.

Unfortunately, injuries are a part of the game and they're going to hit a team at some point. It's inevitable.

Last season when one of their stars such as Darius Garland went down, they were incredibly thin at scoring. But even through just one game, this squad is showing it's going to be a different story.

The team already faced a similar scenario in the opener, but this time it was a different story. Garland went down with a few minutes left in the second quarter and thankfully it sounds like he's going to be alright. But he did not return in that game.

In his absence, the bench of Cedi Osman, Kevin Love, and Dean Wade stepped up to score a combined 33 points. 17 of those points came from Osman and Wade and Love each had eight apiece. 

Isaac Okoro also played in just under 12 minutes off the bench and didn't score but did provide a good defense. 

❤️ got 'im a 🐦 that time!#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/SRgwR5Uqkx

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) October 20, 2022

The biggest shocker here was how well Osman performed. He had 13 points in the first half alone and finished 6-for-12 from the floor. Cedi has also been a solid player but inconsistencies have hindered him from having a huge role on the team in the clutch. 

If this opening night performance is a sign of what he can contribute this year then that only raises the ceiling on what the bench can be this year.

That ceiling will only keep rising throughout the season too as they will eventually get Ricky Rubio which will only make the bench and team better.  

-----

You may also like:

Cavaliers Provide Update On Darius Garland

Donovan Mitchell Doesn't Disappoint In Debut With Cavs

Darius Garland Leaves Game With Left Eye Injury, Will Not Return

That's A Wrap: Final Thoughts On The Cavs Preseason

Five Thoughts On The Cavaliers 113-112 Loss To The Philadelphia 76ers

-----

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more coverage of the Cavaliers!

Follow our comprehensive Cavs coverage through Sports Illustrated's FanNation network here:

Website: www.cavsinsider.com

Twitter: @CavsInsider_FN

Instagram: Cavsinsider_fn