4. Cleveland Cavaliers
With Donovan Mitchell not expected to sign a contract extension with the team yet, it’s easy to see how important this season will be for the Cleveland Cavaliers. If they’re unable to take another step forward, there are going to be some big questions for this team to answer next summer. With the biggest of which revolving around what to do with Mitchell. The good news is that the Cavs have all the ingredients to be a good team this season.
Their young talent should be able to take another step forward and with a year under his belt in Cleveland, Mitchell should be confident with the fit on the Cavs by now. If Evan Mobley can consistently play at an All-Star level, this is a team that could be a dark horse to win the Eastern Conference.
I’m not proclaiming that the Cavs will but that’s just how much talent this team has on its roster. For now, I’ll keep them in the fourth slot. That said, I think there’s a better chance this team moves up the East hierarchy than they move down.