12. Cleveland Cavaliers
Taking the huge gamble to trade for Donovan Mitchell last summer has paid off so far for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mitchell had one of the best seasons of his career with the Cavs last season and should be even better this season with an added year of comfort. But after a disappointing showing in the playoffs at the hands of the New York Knicks last season, it’ll be interesting to see how this team comes out to begin the season.
With all eyes monitoring Mitchell’s long-term situation with the team, the Cavs will need to continue to improve to keep him engaged. The good news is that there’s reason to believe the Cavs will be able to improve this season too. Evan Mobley an Darius Garland are still improving and if this is the year where it all comes together for them, Cleveland will be difficult to stop.
There’s a chance that the Cavs could join the ranks of the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics; that’s how talented this team’s young core is.