3 Reasons To Believe In The Cleveland Cavaliers

Here are three reasons to believe in the Cleveland Cavaliers heading into the NBA season.

Apr 2, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) celebrates with guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers are kind of on the fence heading into the 2024-25 NBA campaign. They don't quite resemble legitimate title contenders, but they are no slouches, either.

So, what should we expect from the Cavaliers going into the season?

Well, here are three reasons to believe in Cleveland heading into the year.

A healthy roster

Last season, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley all played in under 60 games apiece. In spite of all the time they missed, the Cavs still managed to go 48-34.

Remember: two years ago, the Cavaliers won 51 games in what was a much healthier season overall for the ballclub.

So, if Cleveland was healthier last season, it probably would have won 50-plus games again and may very well have secured the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Now, the Cavs are healthy, and while the East has gotten tougher, the Cavaliers may be, as well. A 50-win campaign is not out of the realm of possibility so long as Cleveland's key players avoid injuries.

Kenny Atkinson is a better fit than J.B. Bickerstaff

The Cavs fired J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach and replaced him with Kenny Atkinson, which seems like a pretty wise move for the squad.

Why? Because Atkinson previously coached Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert with the Brooklyn Nets and played a crucial role in helping them emerge as legitimate talents.

Allen and LeVert are more established now, but they seemed to flourish under Atkinson in Brooklyn. Perhaps Atkinson can provide the same lift to young players such as Isaac Okoro and Ty Jerome, who are in need of a boost this year.

Atkinson also prefers a run-and-gun style of offense, which should fit Mitchell and Garland. Bickerstaff's plodding pace was not conducive to his backcourt's talents.

A potential leap from Evan Mobley

Mobley is now entering his fourth NBA season, and many are expecting him to take a big step forward. And you know what? He better, considering the Cavaliers just signed the big man to a massive contract extension.

The former No. 3 overall pick is obviously very skilled and has shown signs of breaking out in the past. He just hasn't been able to put it all together consistently.

Will this finally be the year that Mobley takes the leap?

The 23-year-old averaged 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game last season, which wasn't the jump Cleveland anticipated (although his efficiency did improve significantly).

If Mobley can elevate his play during the 2024-25 campaign, the East will be in trouble.