14. Cleveland Cavaliers
Heading into the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a team that believed would take the next step in their development and emerge as a contender in the Eastern Conference. By most projections, the Cavs were expected to finish as a top 3 team in the East and, at worst, in the top 4 or 5. So far this season, the Cavs have not looked anything like one of the four or five best teams in the Eastern Conference. While it's still something too early to panic about, it's certainly a storyline to keep an eye on.
The Cavs have been pretty uneven. They still look like a playoff team in the East but something feels off with this team. I immediately pinpoint the fact that the Cavs are trying to juggle two different builds. It's the Evan Mobley build, which has Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, and then there's the Donovan Mitchell build that features Caris LeVert and Max Strus. As you would expect, there's some clashing that could be happening.
You can't really blame the Cavs for trying to go all-in on Mitchell. However, perhaps Garland and Mobley weren't ready to be supporting stars this early in their career. The evidence right now is pretty obvious. This is not working. And you'd have to wonder when the Cavs will begin to realize that.