Hidden Gems: Cleveland Cavaliers

Squad Goals Crafting Challenges are here. Each Crafting Challenge gives you the ability to earn new Rare Moments for each of the NBA’s 30 teams by burning existing Moments. New to NBA Top Shot? Create your account today to collect your first pack of curated, officially licensed NBA highlights, and browse the Marketplace to find your favorites.

Remember the early days of the kid from Akron? How about the miraculous 2016 title? Check out historic Cavs Moments on Top Shot in Run It Back, Archive and The Tour sets.

The Squad Goals Set, which makes up the Challenge Rewards for our current NBA Crafting Challenges, is a Top Shot homage to teamwork. Veterans guiding rookies. All-Stars coming into their own. Role players orchestrating the fastbreak. Centers seeing the extra pass.

In the process of these Challenges taking place, thousands of Moments will be burned – permanently – by members of the Top Shot community, unlocking unique Challenge Rewards.

This action will reduce the supply of collectibles in the Marketplace, effectively making those editions more scarce.

As each Squad Goals Crafting Challenge goes live, we'll be shining a spotlight on a handful of Moments from each NBA team that you might have overlooked. Underrated and underestimated players and Moments that are special in their own way, from monster performances to scarce and significant highlights in a player's career. Hidden gems across all Series.

Cleveland’s ready to rock and roll. The Cavaliers Squad Goals Challenge is live, featuring an Isaac Okoro Moment in transition that oozes with chemistry, vision and athleticism. Darius Garland picks a pocket, and Kevin Love launches his all-too-familiar outlet pass, like he did in Lace ‘Em Up from Series 1. After a drop-off dish, the rest is on Okoro to hammer home. The Wine & Gold is back.

After an unexpected presence in last season’s Play-In, the Cavs have a clear core. The Eastern Conference is Cleveland’s oyster. Will they make their Moments count?

DARIUS GARLAND (SERIES 1)

Darius Garland has the keys to Cleveland’s offense.

His playmaking ability makes him a legitimate franchise cornerstone. Garland has the vision to find teammates before they realize they’re open. On the perimeter, he’s difficult to contain. His dribbling combinations flow with hesitations and crossovers that routinely shake defenders.

Before last season began, Steph Curry commented that Garland could be a “flat-out star” and that’s exactly what’s coming to shape.

In 2021-22, Garland finished the year with 21.7 PPG and 8.6 APG, and shot 38.3% from downtown. He made his first All-Star appearance in Cleveland. His third-year leap put him in the running for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

This Rookie Debut (Series 1) Rare Moment, uniquely, shows Garland off the ball as a cutter. It’s a spinning Top Shot Debut, proving he’s much more than a passing point guard.

Will Garland unlock the Cavaliers full potential?

JARRETT ALLEN (SERIES 2)

Here comes another 1st-time All-Star in Jarret Allen, a punishing big.

After Allen’s departure from Brooklyn early in the 2020-2021 season, you could see his development progress in Cleveland with increased playing time and more responsibility.

Although Allen isn’t someone who will stretch the floor, he’s mastered rolling hard to the rim. He and Garland have turned into a devastating alley-oop tandem. In the 2021-22 season, Allen totaled 164 dunks – good for 4th-most in the league behind only Rudy Gobert, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mitchell Robinson.

Defensively, Allen is an elite shotblocker, who’s averaged over 1.2 blocks per game in every season of his young career.

This Metallic Gold LE (Series 2) Rare Moment is a prime example of his proficiency protecting the paint. It’s currently available as one of 499 in the Marketplace.

If Allen can continue to work on his post-up game and become a competent passer out of pick-and-roll situations, Cleveland could outshine expectations once again.

EVAN MOBLEY (SERIES 3)

Potential aside, Evan Mobley is already one of the top instinctual defenders in the league.

Before last season began, the general basketball public was interested to see how the pairing of Mobley and Allen on the floor was going to pan out, and it was more than impressive.

Mobley was a second stalwart at the rim, and his 1.7 blocks per game was the 5th-highest rate in the NBA.

Mobley’s raw 15 PPG and 8.3 RPG numbers on the year aren’t enough to measure his overall impact. His presence alone helped turn the Cavaliers from a bottom defensive unit into the 7th-best team in the league based on defensive rating (109.7).

In a tight Rookie of the Year race, only a 15-point difference separated Scottie Barnes and Mobley from the 1st and 2nd place finishes. It was the smallest margin since the current voting format began 19 years ago.

This Base Set (Series 3) Top Shot Debut is one of the first Moments to be selected by the community in Top Shot history, and is the first of many and-one finishes in Mobley’s career.

New to NBA Top Shot? Create your account today to collect your first pack of curated, officially licensed NBA highlights.

LAST UPDATED ON

Oct 10, 2022 1:37 PM

Hidden Gems: Cleveland Cavaliers

DARIUS GARLAND (SERIES 1)

JARRETT ALLEN (SERIES 2)

EVAN MOBLEY (SERIES 3)

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