The season starts on Wednesday. It’s a good time for the Fear the sword staff to conduct a temperature check to determine where we think things stand for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The exercise is simple. We voted on a scale of 1 to 10 on how much confidence we have in the five categories below and why we think that way.

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

Front office

Staff votes: 7.1

Twitter poll rating (X): b

Previous vote: 6.75

Keeping the core together was a risk. It would have been easier to justify trading Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen in the summer than not to do so based on Cleveland’s midseason run last year and their playoff results. Instead, Koby Altman and company decided to keep the group together and bet on internal improvements with a new head coach.

We’ll see if that strategy pays off. There is two years of playoff data that suggests this is not a well-fitting core. At the same time, you could have said that about the combination of Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown at various points in recent seasons, before breaking through a year after embracing a different style under a new head coach.

I’m not saying that will happen in Cleveland. But there’s reason to believe there’s just as much more to come from this core than what we’ve seen over the past two seasons, even if they don’t have the ceiling Boston had. The value of continuity is easy to overlook. — Jackson Flickinger

Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images

Coaching staff

Staff vote: 8.6

Twitter poll rating (X): b

Previous vote: 8.75

The Cavs rely on Kenny Atkinson. It’s up to him to iron out the wrinkles of this roster and justify the long-term existence of the core four.

There is no doubt this group can win some regular season games. They have the eighth-most wins in the NBA since 2022 and even advanced to the second round of the playoffs last season. Still, it feels like Cleveland’s ceiling won’t rise much higher in the postseason until their offensive output matches their elite defense. They have consistently struggled to score at a pace comparable to other contenders in the league.

This is where Atkinson and crew come into the picture. Atkinson is tasked with breaking old habits and developing modern playing styles. That includes an influx of three-point shooting, playing at a faster pace and centering the development of Evan Mobley as a fundamental cornerstone of this team’s long-term success.

Atkinson has a big task ahead of him – and he will likely receive more blame than credit along the way. But as of now, there’s reason to believe he’s the right man for the job. — Tony Pesta

Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images

Starting position

Staff votes: 7.6

Twitter poll rating (X): A

Previous vote: 7

The Cavs planned to bring back last season’s starting lineup with their core four plus Max Strus, but that already went down in flames. Strus will be out at least six weeks due to an ankle sprain he suffered during practice in Chicago, a blow before the regular season has even started. Strus is an important part of the starting lineup, but not as crucial as the core four. That said, ankles are finicky and Strus has a history of such injuries.

Dean Wade stepping in would be ideal as he offers a mix of size, shooting and defense that the Cavs crave. However, Wade also has a history of injuries. Isaac Okoro or Caris LeVert may also have to step in in the coming months and continue the revolving door at small forward that has been running since 2018 when a certain someone left for Los Angeles.

But the key pieces to the Cavs’ starting lineup are Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. With a new offensive scheme, better health and positive signs of Mobley being more aggressive, the ceiling is high for the starters. As we saw last season, even with injuries to the core, the team can still be very good. — Mike Anguilano

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Bank

Staff vote: 6.25

Twitter poll rating (X): c

Previous vote: 3.25

I am the dissenting, positive voice among my colleagues and I understand why. The bench players are flawed and sometimes frustrating. Dean Wade doesn’t shoot. Isaac Okoro cannot make the most of his attacking skills. Sam Merrill is limited outside of his shooting. Georges Niang is not a good defender or rebounder. Caris LeVert is Caris LeVert. And so on.

This all obscures how well the bench fits the core pieces of this team, which is really what matters. The fit of the bench to the core is why the Cavs were better overall with LeVert and Wade on the court than without. Therefore, the attack was improved with Niang and the defense with Okoro. This led to the Cavaliers’ top two lineups, which played more than 150 possessions last season, including two or more bench pieces. It’s also why the Cavs were able to be as productive as they were when Garland and Mobley missed large chunks of last season.

The goal of a bank is not to score the most points. Instead, it complements the starters and core pieces. The Cavs reserves do that extremely well, even if they don’t have players who aren’t impressive in a vacuum. The bank deserves much more respect than what they get. — Flicker

Photos by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

General outlook

Staff votes: 8.5

Twitter poll rating (X): b

Previous vote: 6.75

The Cavaliers are in an Eastern Conference arms race, with many teams pushing for a title. The Cavaliers decided to give the players a pat on the back and chose to make coaching changes as their big swing. The bet the front office made on their core four and supporting cast could help them early on as teams like the Knicks and 76ers shuffle their personnel to compete with the defending champion Celtics.

While other teams work hard to put their best foot forward, the Cavaliers can rely on the talent that has now played entire seasons together. The ceiling for this team has always been high and they have only scratched the surface of what they are capable of. The East has a lot of variables in play, so keeping the band together for now is the best move for the present.

If Mobley makes a leap offensively, Garland returns to form and Michell’s health returns, this Cavaliers team has the potential to compete against the Celtics. The Cavaliers have had good to great teams in the regular season, but have thrown one basketball hit in the postseason. If Atkinson is able to take the offense to the next level, the Cavaliers’ ceiling will rise from a great all-season team to a title contender. — Corey Walsh