Cleveland Cavaliers News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) reacts with guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the three-point contest during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Cleveland Cavaliers Could Set an NBA Record in 2025-26 Season

Originally posted on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 11:30 AM ET

After winning 64 games in the 2024-25 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to be even better in this upcoming campaign, especially in regard to their previous playoff demons. Despite a smashingly successful record, their postseason trip ended in disaster once again, as they were ousted in the second round by the Indiana Pacers while dealing with some key injuries.

The Cavaliers brass decided that the team had shown enough to warrant another run with the same core. They may have exited the playoffs earlier than they wished, but they were one of the most dominant squads in the regular season, and they very well could have made it to the NBA Finals if they had better health in the postseason.

Unfortunately, Cleveland just suffered a prominent loss, at least for the first stretch of the upcoming campaign. Max Strus recently underwent surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot and is set to miss 3-4 months, which could make him unavailable for the Cavaliers until the New Year. That's certainly not great news, but the team has the depth necessary to battle through it until Strus returns.

Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

Cleveland Cavaliers could field 5 NBA All-Stars in 2025-26 season after Max Strus injury

Last year, there was a lot of clamoring for De'Andre Hunter to join the starting lineup after the Cleveland Cavaliers traded with the Atlanta Hawks for him. Hunter played well after the deal, averaging 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field and 43 percent from deep in just 25 minutes per game.

Many surmised that he should be the starting small forward next season now that he's gotten some valuable experience with the team. However, it made sense for Head Coach Kenny Atkinson to keep Max Strus, a low-usage floor spacer, in the lineup to bring balance alongside Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. It also could have benefitted Cleveland to have Hunter off the bench in a sixth-man scoring role where he could control the offense more and take advantage of weaker matchups.

However, Atkinson and the Cavs might not have a choice now with Strus out. With Hunter likely to join the starting lineup, play more minutes, and have a larger role in Strus' absence, he has a decent chance to make the All-Star game with an impressive run to start the 2025-26 NBA season.

In nine games as a starter last year, he averaged 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 44 percent shooting overall and a sterling 46 percent from beyond the arc. Those numbers don't scream All-Star, but he could see a rise playing with the first-team full-time on the Cavaliers. It would also help if Cleveland is dominant as a team for the first half of the season.

The Atlanta Hawks famously got four of their starters into the 2015 All-Star Game the same way, none of whom averaged more than 17 points that year. It's not unreasonable to think that the Cavs might be able to send Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, Allen, and Hunter to LA for the 2026 All-Star game, especially in a particularly weak Eastern Conference next season.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: