The Cleveland Cavaliers should only have one thing on their collective mind heading into the 2025-26 campaign — revenge. They were so good for the entirety of last year’s regular season, and yet they couldn’t get past the second round. In fact, they won exactly the same number of playoff games in 2025 as they did in 2024, and that simply won’t do for a team with grand ambitions of winning a title.
Time is ticking on the Cavs; while their players aren’t old (the eldest member of their core four is Donovan Mitchell, and he’s only 29 years of age), their huge luxury tax bill as they dip into the second apron means that they have to win and win big now. As the Boston Celtics showed, staying in the second apron incurs so many financial penalties that they decided to overhaul the roster this offseason amid Jayson Tatum’s injury just to reset their tax timer.
Be that as it may, the Cavs can definitely contend for a title for this upcoming season, no doubt about it. They brought back most of the players from their 64-win team, and they brought in Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr., among others, to replenish the depth they lost when Ty Jerome decided to bolt for greener pastures in free agency. De’Andre Hunter will also be around for the entire season, and he was excellent with the Cavs during his first few months with the team.
With that said, here are a few bold predictions for the Cavs for the 2025-26 campaign.
To start the year, the Cavs will be without Darius Garland, with the All-Star point guard still on the mend after undergoing surgery on his toe this past summer. Now, the most likely course of action for the Cavs is to be cautious with Garland. After all, Garland was far from 100 percent during their nightmare of a second-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers, with Indiana sensing blood every time Garland was on the floor.
It’s not quite clear who will be starting alongside Mitchell to start the year. The Cavs could roll with Lonzo Ball, although it’s unlikely that he is thrown into the fire this early in the year considering his injury history. Sam Merrill appears to be the favorite to start in the backcourt alongside Mitchell, but Merrill is not a ballhandler; he is someone who hounds opposing ballhandlers and specializes in moving off the ball and shooting threes off the catch and on the move on offense.
This means that Mitchell might be in for some of the biggest ballhandling responsibilities of his career. With the Utah Jazz, he always lined up alongside Ricky Rubio or Mike Conley. In Cleveland, Garland has almost always been by his side. Mitchell is not a point guard, but considering the Cavs’ likely starting lineup to begin the year, he will have the ball in his hands a lot — leading to plenty of scoring opportunities for the 29-year-old.
In 33 games with the Cavs without Garland, Mitchell averaged 29.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists on 49/38/83 shooting splits. Thus, it’s not too big of a stretch to think that Mitchell could average around 30 points per game, especially when Garland is out.
When Garland returns, Mitchell’s usage will decrease. But even then, one would think that the Cavs will be bringing Garland along slowly. Cleveland has already learned that the regular season is a marathon, not a sprint, and they would much rather be healthy come postseason time.
Assuming that Garland misses plenty of time, Mitchell might be in for the biggest scoring season of his career. Don’t rule out a 30-ppg season from the six-time NBA All-Star and 2025 All-NBA First Team member.
Ball made a triumphant return to the hardwood last year after he missed two and a half seasons due to knee complications. While Ball did end up playing just 35 games last year, it was clear in the games he played that he remains a player with some strong winning DNA.
The Cavs identified Ball as someone who could help with their title push, giving up former lottery pick Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls just to acquire his services. Considering the Cavs’ need for a defensive stopper in the backcourt, Ball is an ideal addition, with the caveat being that his health remains a huge question mark.
The reality may be that Ball is never 100 percent healthy again and he needs to be managed more closely considering his injury history, similar to, say, Kawhi Leonard. But Ball is only 27 years of age, and with the proper handling of his workload, he could end up having the healthiest season of his career as he distances himself even more from the multiple knee surgeries he had in the past.
Now, playing in 65 games feels like a stretch for Ball. But this is not a bold prediction for nothing. He has never played more than 65 games in a single season; his single-season best is 63 games, all the way back in the 2019-20 season. But perhaps playing for a legitimate title-contender is what Ball needs to get through a season unscathed.
Mobley is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and he might not be done challenging for the award. Alas, Victor Wembanyama’s time appears to be coming, and the best most DPOY candidates could do is to fight for second place.
Out of all three bold predictions in this piece, this seems to be the most outlandish. Mobley is far and away the better defender, as he’s more mobile on the perimeter and he’s straight up a better rim-protector. But perhaps Mobley is simply cannibalizing some of Allen’s defensive impact, which seems to have waned over the years.
Allen, in fact, was being challenged constantly by the Pacers in last year’s playoffs, and head coach Kenny Atkinson had to bench him for some stretches. At some point, he simply might be the finished product he is. But Allen is only 27 years of age, right in the prime of his career, and he’s been the subject of plenty of criticism over the years. For the Cavs’ sake, he better step up and reach his apex on the defensive end.
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