The Cleveland Cavaliers came out of the gates blazing last season, racing to a 17-1 start that had fans dreaming big. But those dreams never materialized into a deep playoff run. Fast forward to this season, and it’s been a different story - not necessarily worse, but certainly more complicated.
Through 45 games, the Cavs sit at 25-20. That’s a noticeable dip from their 34-9 mark at the same point last year.
And yet, the message coming out of the locker room has been remarkably consistent: patience. Donovan Mitchell has said it.
So has Darius Garland. And now, Larry Nance Jr. is echoing the same sentiment.
“The best teams don’t peak in January,” Nance said. “The best teams peak in April, the best teams peak in June, the best teams in March. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
It’s a fair point - in theory. No one’s handing out trophies in January.
We’ve seen teams struggle early only to flip the switch when it matters most. But here’s where things get tricky: that kind of talk only works when there’s a clear trajectory, a sense that things are building toward something.
Right now, it’s hard to say that’s the case in Cleveland.
Nance pointed to the team’s youth and new faces as reasons why things are still coming together. And yes, the Cavaliers do have a mix of developing players and recent additions.
But if we’re being honest, it’s been those young guys who’ve often carried the load - while some of the more established names have looked disengaged at times. Effort and consistency have been question marks, and that’s not something you can just wave away with talk of peaking later.
At a certain point, the “we’re figuring it out” message starts to wear thin. That point might already be here.
The Cavs’ recent stretch - 6-4 over their last 10 games - isn’t terrible on paper. But it includes a head-scratching loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder that raised more questions than answers. That kind of performance doesn’t exactly scream "championship habits."
And that’s the heart of the issue. Teams with title aspirations don’t just flip a switch in April.
They build. They stack good habits, game after game, until they become part of their identity.
Right now, it’s tough to pinpoint what the Cavaliers’ identity even is.
There’s still time, sure. But the clock is ticking.
The East isn’t getting any easier, and the margin for error is shrinking. If the Cavs want to be taken seriously in the postseason, they need to stop talking about peaking later and start showing signs of a team that’s ready to do just that.
Because at this point, the words aren’t enough. The Cavaliers need to prove it - on the floor, night in and night out.