CLEVELAND — The wait is finally over! The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in action.
After amassing a 48-34 record last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to change things up after failing to defeat the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Despite returning with all of last year’s players, a new era of Cavs basketball is set to begin in Cleveland after the team hired Kenny Atkinson as head coach, replacing the fired J.B. Bickerstaff.
Atkinson and the Cavs will seek redemption as they'll look to put last year’s playoff performance behind them and focus on playing championship-caliber basketball, highlighted by the offseason contract extensions of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
The Wine and Gold will begin the 2024-25 season on the road against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. The Cavs will play their home opener against the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, Oct. 25.
Below is everything you need to know ahead of the 2024-25 Cavaliers' season.
2024-25 COACHING STAFF
Head coach: Kenny Atkinson
Associate head coach: Johnnie Bryant
Assistant coach: Jordan Ott
Assistant coach: DeMarre Carroll
Assistant coach: Nate Renking
Assistant coach: Trevor Hendry
Assistant coach: Bryan Tibaldi
Assistant coach: Mike Gerrity
Trainer: Stephen Spiro
2024-25 PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
Point guard: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert
Shooting guard: Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Sam Merrill
Small forward: Max Strus, Issac Okoro, Georges Niang
Power forward: Evan Mobley, Dean Wade, Georges Niang
Center: Jarrett Allen, Tristan Thompson, Dean Wade
It is worth noting that Cavaliers small forward Max Strus is expected to miss at least six weeks with a right ankle sprain.
2024-25 BETTING ODDS
To win the 2024/25 NBA Finals
Cleveland Cavaliers: +6,000
To win the 2024/25 Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers: +2,200
To win the 2024/25 Central Division
Cleveland Cavaliers: +195
Regular season wins
Over/under 48.5
To make the playoffs
Yes -900 / No +600
To participate in the Eastern Conference Play-in Tournament
- Cleveland Cavaliers: +205
2024-25 SEASON PREVIEW
The Cleveland Cavaliers enter the 2024-25 season looking to reach new heights. Last year, the team advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals before falling to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics amid a rash of injuries.
But the team is back with a new coach.
The pressure is on Atkinson to guide the Cavs to the next level after the front office elected to keep the core of the team together.
Although the season hasn't started, the team will already be missing one of its key pieces. Cavaliers small forward Strus will miss at least six weeks with a right ankle injury sustained during a recent workout. It's an early blow to a Cleveland team that was ravaged by injuries last season.
The biggest offseason news for the Cavaliers, aside from Atkinson, was the five-time All-Star Mitchell deciding to stay in Cleveland, stabilizing the team for the foreseeable future. Mitchell's signing of a 3-year, $150 million deal came after a season of speculation about whether he would remain with the Cavs long term.
While the 28-year-old Mitchell dealt with numerous injuries last season, he still averaged 26.6 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists. Among his top highlights last year was a 50-point performance in the NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic.
Following Mitchell's signing, Cleveland decided to stick with its "Core Four," which consists of Mitchell, Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley.
Allen was a rock for Cleveland during the 2024-25 season, averaging a double-double every night with 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He missed most of the playoffs after sustaining a rib injury.
The 2024-25 season will prove to be important for Mobley, who has continued to blossom into one of the NBA's youngest and brightest stars. Mobley, who stepped up in the playoffs while Allen was hurt, averaged 15.7 points per game and 9.4 rebounds.
It will also be crucial that the Cavaliers get more production from their bench, something that was glaring in the postseason. They will need big seasons from LeVert, Okoro, Niang, and Wade in particular.
The only new face to the Cavaliers roster is rookie Jaylon Tyson, who was selected No. 20 in the 2024 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-7 wing out of California averaged 19.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for the Golden Bears, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors.
Cleveland will likely go far if they can stay healthy and if Garland can return to his All-Star form of several years ago alongside his "Core Four" teammates.
2024-25 SCHEDULE
The full schedule for the Cleveland Cavaliers can be found HERE.
