It hasn’t been the kind of opening Kenny Atkinson wanted in Cleveland, even if his expression never gives much away.
Still, the Cavaliers know the season is about how it ends, not how it begins. They lived that lesson last year, when a rough stretch sent them tumbling from third in the East to seventh before Christmas, only for them to steady themselves and recover.
This time around, Cleveland’s path to a bigger finish may come down to a few players who can tilt the balance when it matters most.
Peyton Watson is still sidelined by a hamstring injury, but his eventual return could be a major lift for the Cavaliers. He was added this offseason to help fix Cleveland’s long-running issues on the perimeter, and that alone makes his role easy to understand. Watson gives the Cavs a defender who can handle elite opposing forwards, which matters in an Eastern Conference packed with dangerous wings.
The injury has delayed his fit in the rotation, but his value goes beyond matchups. If Watson can knock down corner threes at a steady clip and hold up as a wing defender, he could become one of the pieces that helps Cleveland stand up to the league’s best in the playoffs.
Then there’s Sam Merrill, the kind of bench shooter who can slip under the radar while changing how defenses play the game. His three-point shooting - 32% this season - forces opponents to think twice when guarding Cleveland’s pick-and-roll creators.
Merrill was one of Cleveland’s better stories last season, especially during a stretch when injuries piled up, and he handled whatever role the team asked of him. If he can keep that kind of efficiency from deep and keep producing next to rookie sensation Meleek Thomas with the second unit, his spacing could be a real weapon for an offense that needs to stay smooth in the postseason.
And then there’s Evan Mobley, already one of the NBA’s premier defensive forces in the frontcourt and still the player most tied to Cleveland’s ceiling. If the Cavaliers are going to make a real run to the NBA Finals, Mobley has to keep growing on offense. That means more consistency with his jump shot and a better ability to punish teams that leave him room.
If he keeps expanding his game and can also anchor smaller, quicker lineups at center while Jarrett Allen rests, Cleveland gains another layer of flexibility. Over a seven-game series, that kind of versatility can make the Cavaliers a nightmare to solve.
In Other News...
Sam Merrills Slump May Be A Bigger Cavs Problem Than It Looks
Sam Merrills shooting slump is starting to look like more than a cold stretch, and for the Cavaliers it comes at a time when his value is tied so closely to spacing and quick-trigger offense. The elbow issue he has been dealing with since the preseason has reportedly gotten worse rather than better, and that kind of nagging problem can make a shooters margin for error disappear fast.
At the same time, Clevelands offense has changed since the James Harden acquisition, and Merrill has not been getting quite the same motion looks that once helped him find rhythm. For a player whose game leans on movement, timing and confidence, that combination is a tough one, and it leaves the Cavs with a broader question about how much production they can still expect from him in this system. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Finally Face The Real Khalifa Diop Question
When Cleveland drafted Khalifa Diop in 2022, the plan was never to rush him across the ocean and throw him into the NBA right away. Jos Caldern, the Cavaliers assistant general manager, said the club wanted to let the big man keep developing in Spain, where he had already built momentum after winning the EuroCup Rising Star award before the draft. Diop later signed a four-year contract with Cleveland in September 2023, a sign the organization still sees him as part of its longer-term picture.
The next step, though, remains on hold. Diop has yet to make his NBA debut after a preseason knee injury interrupted his path, leaving the Cavaliers to wait on a prospect they have been patient with from the start. Caldern sounded encouraged by the progress Diop has made and by the chance he could still become a useful piece for the team, but for now the real question is when that promise finally turns into a first game in a Cavaliers uniform. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Early Struggles Are Putting One Offseason Decision Under Fire
The Cavaliers uneven start has already put a bright spotlight on one of their biggest offseason moves. After re-signing James Harden to anchor the roster, Cleveland has stumbled to a 4-4 record and has watched multiple games slip away after building leads, including losses to the Knicks, 76ers and Hawks.
Hardens early numbers have not helped quiet the conversation, either, as his impact has been harder to feel than the contract suggested it would be. With a swing rating of minus-22.6, the fit is drawing scrutiny far sooner than the Cavaliers likely expected, and the next stretch should say a lot about whether this is just a rough opening or the start of a more uncomfortable conversation. [Read more 🡒]