The Cleveland Cavaliers' core is facing a major test this NBA season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won 64 games last year, but still managed to find themselves bounced from the second round of the playoffs yet again.
This time around, things should be different for the Cavaliers, who added pieces like Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr. over the summer and should once again be one of the top teams in a vastly weakened Eastern Conference.
But what if Cleveland falters yet again? What will that mean for the Core Four group of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen?
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley still questions if the Cavs can win a championship with this group, and given the core's complete lack of postseason success, it's a very valid concern ... especially if the Cavaliers fall victim to injuries yet again.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images."Nothing Cleveland can do during the regular season will answer the biggest question about this core: whether it's a viable contender as currently constructed," Buckley wrote. If the Cavs empty the gas tank again, though, they'll deny themselves the opportunity to take that assessment. They're built to go as far as Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen can carry them. If those players are as hobbled as they were in the last playoff run—Mobley and Garland missed time, while Mitchell was clearly impacted by an ankle ailment—that won't be any farther than it has been."
It's not just the fact that the Cavaliers had some injuries last spring, either. Mitchell has never made it past the second round of the playoffs, and he had plenty of opportunities to do so before he even got to Cleveland. Remember: he made the postseason five times with the Utah Jazz before being dealt to the Cavs in September 2022.
Many still wonder whether or not Mitchell can be the No. 1 option on a championship team, and Garland's inconsistency and lack of defensive acumen are concerns, as well. Then there is Allen, who some have accused of not being tough enough in the playoffs.
The Cavaliers will have as good of an opportunity as they will ever have to prove themselves this year. If they fail again, significant changes may need to occur.