Bleacher Report totally misses Cavs rankings on their 24 under 24 list

By Chad Porto | Dec 5, 2021

CLEVELAND, OHIO - NOVEMBER 12: Darius Garland #10 celebrates with Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on November 12, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

A new 24 under 24 Bleacher Report article undercuts the Cavs

And you think we have some out-there opinions? One new Bleacher Report article pulled together who they think are the Top 24 Players Under 24 years of age. This is a follow-up list from earlier this year in October where three Cavs were on the list; Collin Sexton (#19), Jarrett Allen (#21), and Darius Garland (#23).

That list had its own issues but this one is just baffling.

The list is problematic for a number of reasons. Firstly, that Luka Doncic isn’t number one. The Grizzlies star Ja Morant took the top spot but the author fails to factor in the lack of team support Doncic has. He acknowledges it, but he doesn’t actually. The Grizzlies can and have won without Morant. The Mavericks, not so much.

The list is about “…will function as more of a ranking based on how they’re playing at the moment.” Fair, then why is Cade Cunningham higher than Darius Garland? Why is Scottie Barnes over Jarrett Allen?

Cunningham isn’t shooting just 37% from the floor and just 28% from three. That’s a joke to have him as high as he is, and arguably, he shouldn’t even be on the list. He’s a bad player at this moment. He’s got a -2.9 OFF RAPTOR score and -1.1 DEF RAPTOR score. Yet he’s “playing better” than Garland?

And yeah, Barnes is having a fine start to his career, with a +1.3 OFF RAPTOR, but his DEF RAPTOR is -0.9. Allen has a 0.0 OFF RAPTOR and a +4.0 DEF RAPTOR. It’s peculiar that he’d only be at 0.0 considering how efficient he is around the rim but still.

Ja Morant
Luka Doncic
LaMelo Ball
Anthony Edwards
Tyrese Maxey
Tyler Herro
Evan Mobley
Jayson Tatum
Trae Young
Miles Bridges
Scottie Barnes
Jarrett Allen
De’Aaron Fox
Cade Cunningham
Cole Anthony
Darius Garland
Deandre Ayton
Tyrese Haliburton
Kevin Huerter
Franz Wagner
Jarren Jackson Jr.
Talen Horton-Tucker
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Davion Mitchell

All three Cavs should be inside the Top 12

Collin Sexton not being on the list is fair, it’s about active players and Sexton isn’t active at the moment. That’s fine. Yet, putting Cole Anthony, De’Aaron Fox, Miles Bridges, and Tyrese Maxey over Garland? You’re kidding, right?

Allen is a Top 5 center in the NBA, with only Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, Joel Embiid, and Myles Turner having a better defensive rating than him. Evan Mobley does too, but I consider him a power forward. Now, to be fair to the list, Allen is the highest-rated pure center on the list (again, Mobley is a four for the Cavs, not a five) so at least there’s that.

And Mobley is the highest-rated rookie on the list too. Yet, the author really shows his lack of awareness for the other two Cavaliers players because both men should be no lower than 12th on this list.

It’s a baity-list and that’s beyond obvious. Why else put Trae Young behind Maxey, LaMelo Ball, and Anthony Edwards? So I get that the Cavaliers weren’t going to be fairly represented heading in but dang, I didn’t think Garland would get cheated so hard.

For what it’s worth, I do think he got Mobley right, I just think Allen deserved to be ahead of him and Garland just behind him.