2 Cavaliers Players Facing Make or Break Seasons

These two Cleveland Cavaliers players must deliver during the 2024-25 NBA season.

Dec 12, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) and forward Isaac Okoro (35) react after a call as they take on the Boston Celtics in the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a talented group, but there is no question that there is a lot of pressure facing multiple players on the roster heading into the 2024-25 NBA season.

Make no mistake: the Cavaliers must show some form of progression this year, especially after doubling down on their "core four."

But which Cleveland players are facing the most adversity?

Here are two Cavs that are entering make-or-break years this season.

Isaac Okoro

The Cavaliers re-signed Isaac Okoro on a three-year, $38 million deal, so he got his money, relatively speaking.

However, that does not mean that Okoro can suddenly relax.

The former No. 5 overall pick has a whole lot to prove heading into the season, especially after his paltry playoff showing last spring.

We know that Okoro has some pretty fine defensive chops, but his lack of progress offensively is a major concern. Yes, he has become better from three-point range, as he hit on 39.1 percent of his triples last season, but overall, his offensive repertoire is very limited.

This is not what Cleveland was anticipating when it used such a high draft choice on him in 2020, especially considering the potential he showed during his one year at Auburn.

Okoro doesn't have to become a top-flight scorer, but it would be nice to see him actually average double figures for a change. Last year, he logged 9.4 points over 27.3 minutes per game.

If Okoro doesn't improve this year, it may just be time to accept that he is what he is.

Darius Garland

While the Cavs opted not to trade Darius Garland over the summer, his future with the franchise is not entirely safe.

If there is one player from the Cavaliers' primary quartet that remains in danger of being dealt, it's Garland, who is coming off of a disappointing 2023-24 campaign in which he averaged 18 points per game on modest 44.6/37.1/83.4 shooting splits.

To be fair, Garland played in just 57 games and suffered a broken jaw which caused him to lose considerable weight. But Cleveland's patience may be running thin.

The Garland-Donovan Mitchell pairing was supposed to be a dynamic duo, but at this point, there are more questions than answers about the tandem, and the Cavs certainly aren't going to choose Garland over Mitchell.

How Garland starts the season will be key. If he struggles out of the gate, there stands a decent chance that the Cavaliers may try to move him before the trade deadline. But if he excels, then Cleveland may end up being a sleeper in the Eastern Conference.

That being said, time is running out for Garland to prove himself in The Land.