3. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-6)
Cleveland took a huge gamble this offseason, shipping three first-round picks, Lauri Markkanen, and Collin Sexton for three-time All-Star Guard Donovan Mitchell. This gamble has clearly paid off, with Mitchell playing arguably the best basketball of his career, working well alongside fellow guard Darius Garland. With Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in the backcourt, Cleveland now has one of the best starting lineups in the NBA.
Why it will continue: As a Cleveland fan, you have to love how well Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are playing together. Another important weapon to this team is its bench, which is full of three-point shooters. If Cedi Osman, Kevin Love, and Issac Okoro can consistently bring good three-point shooting and defense to complement this elite starting lineup, Cleveland will be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference.
Why it won’t last: I think it’s a given at this point that Cleveland will at least make the Play-In tournament, but can they truly compete in the East? Their greatest weakness is their lack of size in the frontcourt…how will Mitchell and Garland defend in the postseason? We won’t know the answer to this question for a very long time, but in the meantime let’s acknowledge how dangerous this team looks.