The Cleveland Cavaliers are a young team for the most part.
As such, there will be a learning curve and some growing pains.
Young teams always have to endure heartbreak to improve, and the Cavs may have reached that point.
They had some tough playoff losses in the past, and the youngsters are ready to take the next step forward.
That seems to be Evan Mobley’s mindset this season, as he’s been way more aggressive on offense and even more disruptive on defense.
When asked about that, Darius Garland called him a “dawg,” stating that he’s added a “little nasty” to his game (via NBA).
"I mean he's a dawg… what do you expect?"
Darius Garland on Evan Mobley adding "a little bit of nasty" to his game this year 💯 pic.twitter.com/zNo8LhhGo2
— NBA (@NBA) November 10, 2024
There’s nothing nasty about Mobley’s game, but it’s surely encouraging and refreshing to see him more determined and confident about his game.
The same goes for Garland.
When Donovan Mitchell arrived in Cleveland, he seemed to have taken a step back, but the team needed him to complement the dynamic two-guard.
Kenny Atkinson has done a fantastic job of poking the bear and making sure to rattle and motivate his young players to bring the best, most aggressive version out of them.
The Cavaliers look like a team that can legitimately make a deep postseason run right now.
The Eastern Conference has no shortage of strong candidates, and several teams have made moves in the offseason to enhance the talent on their rosters.
But after eleven games, pundits will have to take notice and add the 2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers to their contenders list.
NEXT: Video Shows Evan Mobley's Key Block In Win Over Nets
