\n<\/p>\n
Star guard Donovan Mitchell is tasked with trying to get the Cavs back to their 2016 title heights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
There are hard acts to follow, and then there are hard acts to follow: The Beatles, Marvin Gaye, Godfather Part II, Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras Tour \u2026 and LeBron James bringing the Cleveland Cavaliers back from 3-1 down to win the city\u2019s first NBA championship<\/a>.<\/p>\n It was 10 years ago when that hoop earthquake hit and hell and Lake Erie froze over. Fast-forward to today, and the city\u2019s still thawing. The Cavaliers haven\u2019t returned to the scene of the sublime \u2014 no shame in that, actually \u2014 although it\u2019s fair to wonder when or if that\u2019ll happen again.<\/p>\n Because: Cleveland is very experienced with exceptionally long waits.<\/p>\n James makes his annual return \u2014 and maybe last-ever \u2014 to Cleveland on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN<\/strong><\/a>), which will naturally regurgitate those glorious memories of 2016. At the same time, it may also spotlight the plight of the current Cavaliers, too.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take the last item first: Before these Cavs mimic 2016, they must try to top 2025. And that\u2019s currently a work in progress for this group, which has dealt with injuries and is stutter-stepping through a season of highs and lows so far.<\/p>\n \u201cI really wish we would leave last year alone,\u201d said Cavs star Donovan Mitchell. \u201cThis is gonna be different. How we go about it is different.\u201d<\/p>\n By now, it\u2019s apparent that the Cavs (28-20) won\u2019t duplicate last season\u2019s 64 wins \u2014 it\u2019s mathematically impossible \u2014 and are unlikely to capture the top seed in the East. They\u2019re fifth and either a mini-winning (or mini-losing) streak away from falling below the six-team guaranteed playoff cutline or rising to second place. To date, they\u2019ve lost more games than they did all of 2024-25<\/a>.<\/p>\n Donovan Mitchell talks about the Cavs’ depth, what tipped off Cleveland’s turnaround and more after his 45-point night on Monday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n At the same time, that doesn\u2019t mean this year won\u2019t finish better than last season, when the Cavs were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals<\/a>. Assuming they qualify for the 2026 playoffs, if they catch fire and get favorable matchups, anything is possible, especially for a team led by Mitchell, whose postseason resume is solid.<\/p>\n Mitchell is currently conducting an All-Star starter<\/a> snub tour, scoring 33, 36 and 45 points since he was jilted. He\u2019s in his prime and performing like a top-10 player who wants to be the hero in tight games. This season, he leads all players in second-half scoring and is averaging a career-high 29.5 points per game.<\/p>\n Because of that, the Cavs have a window. They have the required star and a handful of borderline stars and reasonable depth. Plus, Kenny Atkinson is the reigning NBA Coach of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Finally, the East doesn\u2019t drip with the number of elite teams as the West, especially this season, assuming Jayson Tatum doesn\u2019t return from injury to turbo-boost the surging Celtics. The conference is a toss-up, much like last season after the Cavs were eliminated and the Indiana Pacers went to the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n In the post-James era (the second one), the Cavs initially and understandably struggled when he defected to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018<\/a>. In their first three seasons without him, they won 60 games combined, never made the playoffs and burned through four coaches. At least it allowed them to draft Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.<\/p>\n The Mitchell trade in 2022<\/a> signaled a change. It was costly \u2014 Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, three first-rounders and two swaps to Utah \u2014 but it boldly put the Cavs in contention, and here they are.<\/p>\n Forty-eight games into 2025-26 and Mitchell and Mobley are the only regular starters to play in at least 40 of them. Atkinson is juggling rotations and elevating role players as a result. In that sense, the Cavs\u2019 record is better than expected.<\/p>\n Here are the key talking points:<\/p>\n \u2022 Garland\u2019s availability: <\/strong>This is the big obstacle, and it has been all season. Garland is dealing with a right toe sprain. And that was his good big toe; his left one was surgically repaired last summer.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s had some freak injuries,\u201d said Mitchell.<\/p>\n As a result, Garland has played just 26 games, denying the Cavs his playmaking, ability to score 20-25 points and keep defenses from double-teaming Mitchell.<\/p>\n \u2022 Max Strus\u2019 health:<\/strong> A valuable rotational shooter last season, Strus hasn\u2019t played yet. He\u2019s recovering from offseason surgery to repair a broken foot. He\u2019s expected to be re-evaluated next month<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2022 What is Mobley\u2019s ceiling?:<\/strong> After a breakout in 2024-25 when he was an All-Star, Mobley has flatlined, especially offensively. He\u2019s shooting 30.4% on 3-pointers and defenses are leaving him open. He remains a solid rebounder (8.8 rpg) and defender (2 bpg), but overall hasn\u2019t leveled up.<\/p>\n \u2022 Jaylon Tyson has arrived:<\/strong>\u00a0He is this season\u2019s uncovered gem<\/a>, a 24-year-old 6-foot-6 guard making the most of his opportunity given Garland\u2019s absence. Scoring 39 points<\/a> earlier this month against the Sixers was his moment, and he\u2019ll certainly remain in heavy rotation even when Garland returns.<\/p>\n \u201cThat kid is just different,\u201d said Mitchell. \u201cIf Jaylon Tyson\u2019s not in the discussion for the leader for [Kia] Most Improved [Player], then I don\u2019t know what the award is for.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Other factors:<\/strong> Sam Merrill is among the league\u2019s best 3-point shooters both in percentage (45.5%) and 3-pointers made per game<\/a> (3.5). But, he hasn\u2019t been immune to injuries, either, having overcome a right-hand sprain. With De\u2019Andre Hunter struggling from deep (30.6%), Tyson and Mitchell have turned up the 3-point volume shooting out of necessity.<\/p>\n While conceding that \u201cwe haven\u2019t won at the rate we want to,\u201d Mitchell believes the best of the Cavs lies ahead.<\/p>\n \u201c(Garland) is not playing right now, Sam\u2019s not playing right now, Max is not playing right now,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cThe young guys filling in for those guys have been phenomenal. We got different guys in and out of the rotation. It\u2019s all going to look different. The biggest thing is how we\u2019re going about it. It\u2019s not always going to be pretty. It\u2019s at the point now where I don\u2019t care how we do it.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ve done a good job as a collective. Different year, different season. This is who we are. This team just continues to find ways. We\u2019re going to find ways to win and this is going to help us ultimately.\u201d<\/p>\n Even when the Cavs become whole again, plenty will depend on Mitchell\u2019s ability to pull them up among the top contenders. That\u2019s what stars do, what he\u2019s qualified to do.<\/p>\n He\u2019s arguably having his best season, given the circumstances. Mitchell is No. 5 in scoring (29.5 ppg) while shooting 48.5% overall and averaging 5.8 apg. He\u2019s doing all that with the burden of needing to score greatly nearly every night for an incomplete team.<\/p>\n If the Cavs do prosper once the injuries heal, this could be their best chance to make their deepest post-season run since James kept tugboating the team to the NBA Finals year after year.<\/p>\n That 2016 run was magical. That\u2019s when the Cavs were up against a 73-win Warriors team, fell behind 3-1, then rallied and rode Kyrie Irving\u2019s Game 7 dagger and James\u2019 greatness (chase-down block) to a ring and a swollen downtown parade.<\/p>\n LeBron James fulfills his promise to Cleveland and brings the Cavaliers their first NBA championship ever in a classic Game 7.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This could be LeBron\u2019s final trip to Cleveland \u2014 he hasn\u2019t publicly committed to another season \u2014 which means Wednesday could carry some significance. He\u2019ll be a reminder of what the Cavs once were: a perennial championship contender that cashed in epically.<\/p>\n A completely different identity now comprises Cleveland, and with all of the injuries, the Cavs are still figuring themselves out. They cruised to the top seed in the East a year ago, but the outlook has changed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a different story this year,\u201d Atkinson said. \u201cThere\u2019s more parity than ever in the league \u2026 so the race is tighter.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cavs have Mitchell. They\u2019ll be healthy soon. And they\u2019ve won six of seven. Atkinson is hoping the winning streak \u201ccan push us to another level.\u201d<\/p>\n Maybe not to the 2016 level. But can they at least give themselves a chance?<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at\u00a0<\/i>spowell@nba.co<\/i>m<\/em><\/a>, find\u00a0<\/i>his archive here<\/a><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/i>\n<\/div>\n Star guard Donovan Mitchell is tasked with trying to get the Cavs back to their 2016 title heights. There are hard acts to follow, and then there are hard acts to follow: The Beatles, Marvin Gaye, Godfather Part II, Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras Tour \u2026 and LeBron James bringing the Cleveland Cavaliers back from 3-1 down … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/As-LeBron-James-visits-memories-of-Cavs-title-run-10.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18598"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18600,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18598\/revisions\/18600"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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