Cavaliers Face Big Underlying Concern for Next Season

The Cleveland Cavaliers enter the 2025-26 NBA season with some extremely high hopes. As one of the top contenders to be had in the Eastern Conference, this team heads into the year ahead with expectations to not only match their standing among one of the league's best as they did previously, but also to be both revitalized and even improved from the last time they were on the floor.

However, even with their projection as landing atop the East for a second-straight year, the Cavs have still been met with a few doubts on just how high their ceiling may be as a unit for the 2025-26 campaign, and whether or not true title contention is in their future.

In the eyes of ESPN's Tim Bontemps, there's one factor the Cavaliers will have to keep in check next year that hasn't quite panned out in their favor to this point: injury luck, which, for all four of Cleveland's core pieces, has had its turbulence through recent seasons.

"Though Cleveland's core four -- Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen -- are all under 30, history has told us that injuries, even for a young roster, are something to monitor once spring arrives. Mitchell played brilliantly for the Cavaliers the past two seasons before wearing down during the playoffs -- and that was with relatively short postseason runs. This season, the Cavaliers will be satisfied only if they return to the NBA Finals for the first time since LeBron James led them there for the fourth straight time in 2018."

"That'll require Mitchell to hold up physically through the rigors of a deep playoff run -- one that will require a lot of offensive creation from him and backcourt mate Garland, especially after Ty Jerome left in free agency. (But Sam Merrill is a quality third guard.) Health on the wing is also a potential pitfall. Dean Wade is a talented player who has regularly been sidelined by injuries. De'Andre Hunter has never played more than 67 games and has played fewer than 60 in three of his six seasons. And Lonzo Ball, while a terrific fit on the court, has had well-documented injury issues and can't be counted on for a heavy game or minutes loads."

While a large chunk of success in the postseason comes down to raw roster talent, being healthy and on the floor might be even more vital for teams to get right once April rolls around, something the Cavaliers have seen their troubles with, especially during their most recent postseason loss to the Indiana Pacers.