Opening night is coming, folks! There are a lot of things to be keeping an eye on in Cleveland as they prepare to take on the 76ers. The first game of any season always brings the most anticipation, and this year is no different.
LeBron James’ first home game with his new club is against the team he opted not to re-join this summer. The Cavs landed Peyton Watson a month later, solidifying an important offseason with a key new acquisition for their club.
Here are three things to watch for in the opening contest.
The New Guys
Mario Hezonja is set to play his first NBA NBA game since August 29, 2020. That was 2,245 days ago if you were curious about the math. He’s added size and strength to his game. A very different player than was previously. The hope is he will aid the second-unit, providing some scoring and secondary playmaking.
Peyton Watson, acquired in exchange for Max Strus and a future pick in a multi-team trade, is the hopeful defensive stalwart they’ve been looking for. This will be the first season in the Donovan Mitchell era that the Cavs are not an undersized unit. Watson is 6’8 with a long vertical and wingspan and can truly defend all five positions on the court. He provides something that has long been missing at his position.
Watson will have to guard LeBron James most likely, so keep an eye on that matchup. Hezonja is replacing the minutes left by Dean Wade, but adding more scoring than they had before.
Meleek Thomas could be a third newcomer out there, so watch to see if he may play and add a bit of scoring punch in a potential NBA debut.
Have They Put Last Season Behind Them?
Usually, a squad making the Conference Finals is a very good thing. But based on how things ended for the Cavs against the Knicks, the entire series has been something everybody has wanted to just forget about.
The questions aren’t going to be about that series anymore. That’s in the past. But now, about how they bounce back. Have they moved forward mentally? It’s easy in preseason and over the summer for everything to look good. But until the team plays games that count again, it’s hard to say if they are able to really get past what happened before.
They have fantastic lineup versatility and a lot of promise for the campaign ahead, so the focus has to be on how they look mentally, and what the body language will be like. Keep your eyes peeled.
Can The Backcourt Deliver?
As the team got blown to bits by the Knicks, the team’s backcourt wasn’t able to produce at the expected level. With a full offseason together now, how prepared will they be? Donovan Mitchell has long been sensational, and James Harden has a track record of starting season’s strongly.
They will both need to be at their best for the Cavs to have their best chance at a victory to open. How they play off one another and contribute will go a long way towards securing the W. Mitchell with his scoring, Harden with a little scoring and diming.
The team chemistry at-large seems to be well on the surface, though again, when games start counting and things go sideways the first time is when the first real look at the picture emerges.
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