The Cleveland Cavaliers sealed their fate as a playoff team for the 2022-23 season after a win over the Houston Rockets last night.
Fans have been overjoyed at seeing the Cavs make the playoffs again, ending a 5-year draught from 2018 and a longer draught of 25 years of making the playoffs without LeBron James on the roster. Only Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen from the current Cavs starting 5 were actually alive the last time a non-LeBron Cavs team made the postseason.
Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro were born in 2001, while Darius Garland was born in 2000. Allen was born on April 21, 1998, with the 98 Playoffs tipping off on April 23, so he barely avoids being on this list. This goes to show how bereft the Cavs have been of non-LeBron success, as the fans are finally seeing a competent roster being built from the ground up.
The Cleveland Cavaliers Have A Bright Future
The Cleveland Cavaliers have managed to build one of the most exciting young teams in the NBA this season. Acquiring Donovan Mitchell in the summer gave them a bonafide playoff-tested scoring option to help catapult the team from their status as East bottom feeders. They lost in the play-in tournament last season but will surpass that altogether this year.
With the age of their current starting five and the potential players like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley have shown for the future, this Cavs team may be scary. Finding a better offensive option on the wing instead of Isaac Okoro is their only real problem in terms of the roster they’ve built.
This group can grow together and be one of the scariest teams in the NBA in a matter of a few seasons, provided Mitchell extends his contract beyond the 2025-26 season that he’s going to be under his current deal.
Source: fadeawayworld
