Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 bold predictions for 2019-20 NBA season

3. A Cavs player will be an All-Star

The last time Kevin Love played 75-plus games as his team’s best player, he averaged 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per contest. The then 25-years-old was just entering his theoretical prime.

A handful of injury-riddled seasons later, Love plays a different game. No longer a consistent inside bruiser, the big man orbits the perimeter launching 3-pointers with more regularity. Yet, 31 isn’t that old. It’s still kind of in a player’s prime window, depending on how they age. With his history of injuries and increased depth in the Eastern Conference, it’s bold to predict Love makes the All-Star team this season. But not completely out there.

Players often improve the most between their rookie and second seasons. Cedi Osman is a perfect example, nearly quadrupling his point total between 2017-18 and 2018-19. If Collin Sexton can replicate Osman’s progress, he’s in for a big year.

Arguably the most underrated rookie of last season, Sexton finished third among first years in points with 1,371. He was also sixth in assists per game with 3.0.  A crowded backcourt with Garland and Jordan Clarkson will likely slow him down.

Still, Sexton scored more than 20 points in 13 of his team’s final 17 games. In nine of those games, he shot over 55 percent. If Sexton can carry that production over into, say, the first 34 games of next season, an All-Star nod isn’t out of the question.