Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 reasons to be excited for 2019-20 NBA season
By Ryan Piers
3. Rookie battles
Fans eagerly await the Cleveland Cavaliers’ battles with the likes of the Boston Celtics, the two Los Angeles teams or Giannis Antetokounmpo. But these contests likely turn into slaughters, with the Cavs acting as cattle.
On the other hand, witnessing the Cavs exhilarating rookie class clash with the likes of RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson and Ja Morant should not only entertain, but feature odds more in the Cavs favor.
The first of these matchups falls on Nov. 11 when Cleveland invades Madison Square Garden to play the Knicks. Cleveland hosts Morant and the Grizzlies in December before traveling to Memphis in January.
They have dates with Zion and the New Orleans Pelicans in January and February.
These games will be litmus tests not just for the players, but a front office rostering three selections from the first round of this year’s draft. Can the combination of Darius Garland, Dylan Windler and Kevin Porter Jr. stand up to the draft’s head honchos?
More importantly, it’ll just be fun watching possible stars like Garland and Barrett square off in their nascent years. While James returning to Cleveland is always a spectacle, that’s now old news. New and exciting is worth looking forward to.