CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are a quarter of the way through the 2025-26 regular season, but due to an injury-riddled 21-game stretch, it doesn't mean they've had much of a chance to learn about their ceiling potential looking ahead to the playoffs.

After a loss to the Boston Celtics Nov. 30 — their third consecutive defeat — the Cavs stood at 12-9. They haven't played a single minute at full strength as most of the rotation has been in-and-out of the lineup.

The Cavs have tried to look for silver linings while in this injury-heavy predicament, like the discovery of more role players they might be able to trust in key moments ( namely second-year guard Jaylon Tyson ). But slowly, frustration can set in as they perform below their expected level of play, regardless of the contributing

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