Can Irving be a protagonist in the Eastern Conference again?
With Kyrie Irving more experienced and an improved point guard after another year spent in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be optimistic about their future. However, the question is just how good can they be this year?
Much will depend on their ability to stay fit, in particular Irving who missed 23 games last season while Dion Waiters, Anderson Varejao and new arrival Andrew Bynum have all suffered over the past twelve months.
Nevertheless, they appear to have a youthful and talented roster that can produce some decent basketball and there is also the return of Mike Brown as head coach to consider.
Three years after his departure, he will hope to improve them defensively after a significant drop over the last few seasons, but he will undoubtedly need to make the most of his bright talents.
After becoming the youngest All-Star since LeBron James last year, Irving is widely considered to be one of the next superstars of the league. If he can continue to develop and become a leader of this team then there could be improvements ahead.
However, he will need the likes of Waiters, Tristan Thompson and the newly drafted Anthony Bennett to similarly improve their game as they become an overall impressive unit.
While they are expected to improve on their 24-58 record from last season, they will be apart of a secondary group of teams set to compete for the last few playoff spots.
Along with the likes of the Wizards, Pistons, Hawks and Raptors, it remains to be seen which will successfully book their places in the post-season. From a Cleveland perspective, it will be vital to keep their players healthy and to see Irving continue to flourish on the floor.
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