The Indiana Pacers’ division is in flux. The Chicago Bulls are rebuilding, the Milwaukee Bucks have added new talent, and the Detroit Pistons have a new coach and new veterans. The Central Division will have different battles next year.
But when the Pacers face the Cleveland Cavaliers, things will look pretty much the same as they did in 2023-24. As of this writing, the Cavs have only added one player this offseason, and that was via the draft. They selected Jaylon Tyson with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and have yet to add anyone in free agency.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s players from last year are still looking for new contracts. Damian Jones, Marcus Morris, Tristan Thompson and Isaac Okoro are still free agents while the Cavs have three open roster spots. They’re juggling their distance from the luxury tax with their need to add talent.
As it stands, Cleveland appears to have an extremely similar team in 2024-25 to the one it had last season, when it finished fourth in the Eastern Conference. But it still made one major change. The Red Sox fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and hired Kenny Atkinson, who is expected to change the team’s style.
Atkinson has a strong background in player development and helped several Brooklyn Nets players progress during his last stint as head coach. The Cavs, who have some very important young talents like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, could use that from Atkinson.
Their new head coach just finished a stint as an assistant in Golden State. If he can apply some of the offensive lessons he learned with the Warriors to the Cavs, it would help Cleveland. They need more creativity on that front.
As it stands, the team that won 49 games last season projects to have a nearly identical rotation in 2024-25. Led by Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, the Cavs will be tough to upset on any given night. They’ll almost always get enough stops, and they can score with anyone thanks to their dynamic backcourt.
The changes Atkinson has implemented could determine how much better they are. Maybe Garland or Mobley will take a step forward, or maybe Tyson can bring something to the table in his first year. It’s hard to imagine the Cavaliers doing any worse. But they appear to have a similar ceiling to last season, when they were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
In 2023-24, Indiana and Cleveland split their season series 2-2. They’re pretty evenly matched in terms of talent, but the Cavs have been together longer. The two teams will be very similar this season, so it’s reasonable to assume they’re in the same general category in terms of talent.
The Cavaliers still have some work to do to fill out their roster. They could use a winger and will likely bring in a few more veterans before training camp begins. Okoro is still a restricted free agent. Their quality could change between now and the start of the season.
But as things stand, the Cavaliers appear to be much the same team and are counting on Atkinson to provide some stability. They extended Mitchell, Allen and Mobley this summer. Their direction is clear. But it will take some progress this season for their core to settle.
