The Cleveland Cavaliers ended a disappointing and disappointing playoff series against the New York Knicks on Wednesday, losing Game 5, 106-95 and being eliminated from the playoffs.
The Cavs’ youth and lack of depth were on full display in the series, as they consistently out-rebounded and lacked any offensive spark off the bench.
However, lost in his dismal performance against New York is the fact that his future looks very bright.
Head coach JB Bickerstaff put a positive spin on the entire season by saying that his players should be proud of their performance.
Experience, learn and grow. Time to come back even stronger next season. #let them know pic.twitter.com/cyDOXSYfDx
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 27, 2023
Last season, Cleveland came minutes away from winning the play-in tournament, and they had a promising young core that included All-Star point guard Darius Garland and big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
But his timeline was pushed forward when he surprised the NBA by landing star guard Donovan Mitchell in a trade late last summer.
Mitchell had his best season yet, averaging 28.3 points per game and shooting 48.4 percent from the field, both of which were career-highs, and the Cavs finished with a 51–31 record, which placed them fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Most impressively, they finished first in defensive rating, which in itself is a great achievement for such a young team, and has given the Cavs a foundation to build on.
The team needs to overcome a lack of productive bench players as well as beef in the frontcourt, but it may only be a matter of time before they seriously compete for an NBA championship.
next:
Cavs center concedes defeat against Mitchell Robinson