Cleveland Cavaliers wing Caris LeVert didn’t finish the 2021-22 season the way he wanted. He recently said that he felt like he took a “step back.”
“After the season, honestly, I was disappointed,” LeVert told The Athletic. “It was like, I had never really felt like that about basketball before. I didn’t lose any confidence. I was just disappointed in how the season ended and how I was playing. So it was like, I don’t know, I really felt like, not even something to prove to other people, it was kind of something I wanted to just prove to myself that I could still be myself or I could still get better because I feel like I’ve gotten better every year. And I just felt like last year I kind of took a step back.”
LeVert averaged 13.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 19 games with the Cavs in the 2021-22 regular season. However, those numbers weren’t close to the stats he posted with the Indiana Pacers prior to Cleveland acquiring him in a trade before the deadline.
LeVert was averaging 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from beyond the arc for Indiana when the Cavs traded for him.
The 28-year-old is confident that he will improve his game in the 2022-23 season.
“You will definitely see a different me and I can’t wait for that,” LeVert said a few months ago. “I know this summer will be huge for everyone, but huge for myself as well. It’s a lot that I want to kind of tackle and get started on, so I’m excited about the opportunity.”
Last season, the Cavs could have used more production from LeVert, especially when Darius Garland went to the bench during games. He was unable to produce at the level he would have liked, but LeVert can change the narrative around his play with a strong 2022-23 season.
The Cavs and their fans have to love that LeVert is holding himself accountable, and the good news is that he won’t have as much pressure to produce in the 2022-23 campaign.
The Cavs’ trade for Donovan Mitchell should help the team fix some of the offensive struggles it had last season. Cleveland missed the playoffs in the 2021-22 campaign after losing two straight play-in tournament games. At times during the season, the offense really struggled when Garland wasn’t on the floor.
With Mitchell in the fold and a potentially improved LeVert, the Cavs could be a scary team to face in the 2022-23 season.
