The Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the pleasant surprises of the 2021-22 NBA season. They blew away the expectations that were set for them during the offseason as they won 44 games. That was the most victories in a single season without LeBron James being on the roster since the 1997-98 season.

While it didn’t culminate in a playoff appearance, as the Cavaliers lost to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Play-In Tournament, it should still be considered a very successful season. There were a lot of positives to take away and as a young team, they made some major strides.

Cleveland is certainly a team to watch for the upcoming season as they should continue improving. Natural development from a young team is always expected, as they could push for that next tier outside of the Play-In Tournament.

Point guard Darius Garland, who was named to his first All-Star team, is excited about what is to come for the Cavaliers. He made a bold prediction for the upcoming season, as he is expected a deep playoff run.

“I think we can get even better,” he said. “I think we can make it to the Eastern Conference Finals next year for sure. We’re coming back with a chip on our shoulder. … We’re a young team. Like you said, we battled through a lot of adversity this season. So, it was cool just being there, but we not satisfied. We all in. We all ready to rock and roll.”

Had it not been for a hand injury suffered by Jarrett Allen near the end of the regular season, the Cavaliers very well could have avoided the Play-In. Without him anchoring the defense, things fell apart as their identity was on the defensive end.

Allen wasn’t the only loss, as Collin Sexton tore his meniscus and Ricky Rubio tore his ACL, ravaging the backcourt depth on the team. They were able to overcome those, for the most part, but Allen’s loss was too much to compensate for.

Better luck in the health department would certainly help the Cleveland Cavaliers for the upcoming season, but this is a roster full of great young talent, led by Darius Garland, that is only scratching the surface of its potential. They have all the makings of a sustained winner in Cleveland.

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