A Battle Up North: Cavs - Raptors (Game Preview)

A house isn't built in a day, just as we know the Cleveland Cavaliers will evolve over the course of the season. However, like a construction worker who wakes up at 6 a.m on Monday, suits up, and lays that first brick to start the foundation, tonight's game marks the first piece of an 82-piece puzzle. It's the initial building block for what lies ahead this season.

Our first opponent: the Toronto Raptors.

A young team, stuck in the middle of no-mans land. They finished 25-57 last season and had no control over their draft pick after a previous trade. Still, this is no game that should be taken lightly.

The Raptors are coming into the season opener banged up, with key pieces like R.J Barrett, Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk (who spoiled our 2015 playoff run, dislocating Kevin Love's shoulder) sidelined.

The young Raptors team is coming off a strong 3-2 pre-season and will show a lot of energy in front of their home crowd. Expect a solid performance from All-Star and developing leader Scottie Barnes. He has the ability to control the court on both sides of the ball. A vocal leader who crashes the glass hard, has plus playmaking skills, and has been working his game to score on all three levels. Barnes was able to claim the 2021 Rookie of the Year award, beating out Evan Mobley.

Another Raptors player to highlight is Immanuel Quickley, who now has the keys to their offense, after a lucrative offseason extension. He shoots the three at about a 40% clip, and showed his ability to read different defensive coverages and play off the pick and roll. This was evident as his assist numbers almost tripled after a midseason trade from the New York Knicks.

Looking at the Toronto team as a whole, I'm expecting them to shoot a considerable amount of three-point shots tonight. Not only do guys like Gradey Dick and Chris Boucher have a three-point shot, but they are not going to win the battle in the paint tonight. Their best formula for a win will be early defensive intensity to rattle the Cavs, playing with pace as they did in the preseason, showing Darius Garland multiple defensive coverages and then using Barnes as an offensive hub to open up space for outside shooters.

On the flip side, the Cavs are surely optimistic about their odds for the season opener. They get the chance to play their first meaningful game against an inexperienced team. In a season will where Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen will play a large role in our success, they face a relatively weak big in Jakob Poeltl. This leads me to assume Kenny Atkinson will have us play inside-out to begin this contest. Displaying dominance in the paint and expanding Mobley's shot profile can give Evan the early-season confidence he needs to become a true star.

From there, ball movement will be key. Attacking close-outs against a young team and getting them into the scramble will free-up our three point shooters. Garland in iso ball and working off on-ball screens can be great, but moving the ball around and giving him the chance to see open three-point shots fall will be crucial tonight. Caris Levert, Isaac Okoro and Georges Niang are arguably our three most important players tonight. If they can play their respective roles in different rotations with our starting group, they will show the clear depth advantage we have over the Raptors.

Game Prediction: 108-98 Cavs

Player of the Game Prediction: Donovan Mitchell (20+, 5+, 5+)

Hot Take: Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have 18+ points each

See you after the game.