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The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a scorching hot start in their 2021-22 campaign. They are in the midst of their West Coast road trip as they have won their first two games versus the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers. Their next match will be against the 2020 NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers led by the big 3 of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook.
This will be a terrific test for the youthful core in Cleveland if they continue their streak and possibly come out victorious against the Lakers in Staples Center. Thus, here are four bold predictions for the Cavaliers in their second straight L.A. matchup.
Cleveland Cavaliers Predictions
Darius Garland will break out of his shell
Entering the season, there were a plethora of media personnel and basketball fans that are expecting Darius Garland to elevate his game and ascend as one of the top young point guards in the league. It is likely that the Cavaliers would want to build their guard rotation around Garland because Collin Sexton has not been signed to an extension, and he has been always been circulating in trade rumors.
Garland just returned from his left ankle injury against the Denver Nuggets, but Cleveland fans must just remain patient with the spitfire guard from Vanderbilt. His performance in the second half of last season is the best indicator that he still has another gear to reach as the starting point guard of Cleveland. As the Lakers are struggling defensively, this is the right opportunity for him to score around 25-30 points in this matchup.
Markkanen, Mobley, Allen will not work
J.B. Bickerstaff has continued starting the unorthodox bigs of Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen at the big men position. It has been effective for the first five games, but there will be matchups that this will cause difficulty for them to matchup defensively. Moreover, the spacing will be difficult as well because it is only Markkanen that could consistently make outside shots.
With the Lakers wanting to push the pace every possession, these three bigs will have a tough time to keep up for 48 minutes, especially if James decides to suit up for this game. The Cavaliers will likely needed to adjust and a natural wing to defend James, Malik Monk, or Carmelo Anthony. These three seven footers for the Cavaliers could be against some franchises, but not against the Lakers.
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Ricky Rubio will tally 13-15 assists in this game
As previously mentioned, the Lakers have been dismal in the defensive end of the floor as they have allowed over 115 PPG against all their opponents this season. Their defensive prowess has been their calling card over the last few years, but the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green, and Alex Caruso have been very evident with their performance.
With the young studs of the Cavaliers running the floor, Ricky Rubio can continue his phenomenal start as one of the assist leaders in the league. Coming off his excellent stint in the Tokyo Olympics for Spain, Rubio is continuing his ascension in his 10th season in the association. With Mobley and Allen already being effective inside the paint, Rubio has been the perfect player to complement their style of play. Moreover with the expected big games of Garland in the next weeks, Rubio will have the chance to add up to his assist totals in the next games.
Cavaliers lose by single digits to Lakers
Even with the huge performances by numerous of their young players, the Cavaliers will fall short to the Lakers because of their sheer superstar power in L.A. Similar to the tilt against the Grizzlies, this will be a learning block for a young franchise that plans to make some noise in the playoffs in the next years.
The possibility of Garland's big game will initially cause headaches for the Lakers, but they will be able to mitigate his production in the latter part of the game. Mobley and Allen will tally their usual production, but it will be overshadowed by another massive performance by Davis on both ends of the floor.
As the Cavaliers are planning to fight for a play-in spot this season, their tilt with the Lakers will give them the opportunity to get used to playing top caliber competition at the highest level. With their young core, Cavaliers fans can be delightful with the bright future in Cleveland.
