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CLEVELAND — Media day is chaotic. Players are asked very random questions about their summers. Some of it is interesting. Some of it isn’t.
There often isn’t a throughline to what is said, and it’s impossible to synthesize everything into one cohesive story. So instead of trying to do so, I’m going to just give you one interesting thing each player said that wasn’t covered in any of our other articles.
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Let’s start with the face of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Donovan Mitchell
“I saw Peyton Watson at the World Cup, and I told Koby [Altman] — we were just talking briefly, I had nothing to do with him coming here — I was like, man, he’s tall as shit. Like, I didn’t know he was that tall.”
Small forward has long been a problem area for the Cavs. They’ve struggled to find a player who connects their dynamic backcourt with the imposing frontcourt.
Part of the reason for that is the unique skill set needed to bridge that divide. The ideal fit needs to be comfortable operating off-ball offensively as a shooter and tertiary playmaker. Defensively, they need to cover multiple positions, which includes defending the opponent’s best perimeter player and shifting up to the four if needed.
The Cavs have had players who could do one of those things. De’Andre Hunter and Max Strus delivered the offensive component, but weren’t perfectly suited defensively for that role. Dean Wade was the opposite.
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We’ll see if Watson can be the missing piece at the three. What I can confidently say now is that Mitchell is right. Watson is indeed tall.
Thomas Bryant
“We have to be a collective unit out there on the basketball court.”
Some years at media day, you get a lot of talk about how the team will play differently. Pushing the pace, shooting more threes, and moving more off-ball are all things we’ve heard in the past.
The Cavs didn’t focus on that this time. There wasn’t much talk about X’s and O’s. Instead, they talked about being more connected on and off the court.
That makes sense, given how hastily assembled the Cavs were last season. They found instant success due to their incredible skill and how well their talents…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/recapping-cavs-media-day-one-170000885.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-30 17:00:00
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