Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley look to reach the next level in Cleveland this season.

Adding Donovan Mitchell before last season dialed up both the Cavaliers’ potential and their fans’ expectations. Now the task is to channel Mitchell’s talents to complement his teammates more fully while actually making some noise in the East playoff bracket.

What’s new?

• Mitchell, a four-time All-Star, had a career season in scoring (28.3 ppg) and shooting (48.4%) but will need to translate his talents into playoff success.
• Adding Max Strus from Miami and Georges Niang from Philadelphia gives the Cavs’ attack much-needed 3-point shooting, player movement and versatility, even if the defense takes a dip.
• Center Jarrett Allen didn’t fare well against New York’s physical style in the first-round playoff loss, and his minutes might decline if Mobley logs more time as a four-out, one-in five.

How far can the Cavaliers go?

Expect nothing less than a spot in the conference semifinals for this team. Look, when you take the traditional knocking-at-the-door route to team maturation Cleveland has (Play-In loss one year, first-round exit the next), it’s important you don’t stall out prematurely. These guys should be competent enough at both ends to turn another 50-victory season and Top 4 seed into one best-of-four advancement.

1 player that must take a leap

Evan Mobley. His skill set is surpassed only by his work ethic and his desire to get better, according to folks in Cleveland who know and work with him. Now, in Year 3, it’s time to expect more from the lean 7-footer with Defensive Player chops. Enhancing his offensive game with greater shooting range and more ferocity in the paint are boxes to be checked this season.

In-Season Tournament

The Cavs are in East Group A with the Hawks, Pistons, Pacers and Sixers.

Upcoming free agents

The Cavaliers have three players that will be free agents in 2024.

• Isaac Okoro
• Damian Jones
• Tristan Thompson

Okoro is the guy whose defense hasn’t kept his minutes from declining as Cleveland’s talent level and on-court needs evolved over the past three seasons. The Cavs will be the seventh organization in six years that Jones has played for, which suggests both value and expendability, so it will be about his role here. Obviously, bigger contract-fish to fry include Mobley’s eventual contract extension and Mitchell’s interest in swapping his 2025-26 player option for something longer and locked-in.

Cleveland’s full roster can be found here.

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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