By Zach Lowe (kind of)
No fireworks. No draft night Woj bomb. No media frenzy.
Just a quiet trade to clear cap space—and a sudden four-game win streak that might’ve flipped the script in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers are 12–8 now, second in the Central Division and climbing fast. They’ve ripped off four straight wins against Utah, Washington, Indiana, and Orlando. And they’ve done it not with a blockbuster acquisition, but by doubling down on chemistry, defense, and role optimization.
Let’s talk about how this all got weird—in the best possible way.
The Cole Anthony Trade That Wasn’t Really About Cole Anthony
Let’s get this out of the way: Cole Anthony never played a minute in Cleveland. He arrived, the books got balanced, and he was shipped out before the ink dried.
But in the space Anthony vacated, the Cavs found something real. Something stable.
Ben Lawson, a 7-foot-1, 266-pound big with an 80+ defensive rating and a paint presence like PETA on a fur coat, got promoted to the starting lineup. Since then? The Cavs are 4–0, outscoring opponents by nearly 15 points a night.
Sometimes, it's not who you bring in. It's who you make room for.
Ben Lawson: The Anchoring Force Who Finally Got a Chance
Lawson doesn’t rebound well. Let’s just say that up front. He’s not going to be an 11-rebound, second-jump pogo stick. But that’s about the only knock on him.
Everything else? Quietly elite.
His timing as a shot blocker is fantastic. His rotations are crisp. And with his size (266 pounds!), teams are thinking twice about challenging him at the rim. Just ask Utah, where he tallied 2 blocks and a +4 in 20 minutes—or Indiana, where the Pacers scored just 67 points with Lawson helping clog the paint.
He doesn’t score many baskets, but he doesn’t need to. The Cavs don’t want offense from him. They want stops—and so far, he’s delivering. He's on a mission to show he deserved to get at least one minute of PT last season as one of the rarest archetypes in the league—a beefy 3+D center.
Christian Braun, Plus-Minus Monster
Christian Braun has averaged less than 5 points per game over this stretch. But across the four-game streak, he’s posted plus-minus lines of +13, +15, +17, and +18.
That’s not a typo.
Braun is somehow giving Cleveland elite lineup value despite a modest 60 defensive rating and relatively low usage. So how’s he doing it?
It’s the fit. He doesn't dominate the ball, he runs the floor, he’s in the right spots, and he defends with more effort than most young wings. He lets Langford and Porter do the heavy lifting—and sneaks in a clutch shot or two when defenses forget about him.
Every team wants a Christian Braun. Most don't realize when they have one.
Langford & Porter: Batman and Superman
Let’s not ignore the stars. The Cavs have two engines: Romeo Langford, the wire-to-wire point guard and unflinching shot-taker, and Michael Porter Jr., who’s been shredding defenses with his mid-post footwork and lethal shooting.
Langford’s control of tempo has improved dramatically. He’s attacking selectively, getting to the line (11-of-12, 11-of-11, and 7-of-10 in three of the four games), and making better decisions as the lead guard. This is his offense now.
Porter, meanwhile, dropped 47, 16, 39, and 39 in these four games. But more importantly? He's passing—tallying 13, 10, 15, and 15 rebounds and assists combined during the streak. That’s All-NBA level production.
EJ Onu: Unleashed (Mostly)
Onu remains the project. But the flashes? Blinding.
He grabbed 22 boards against Indiana and finished with +21 in that one. He had 7 points and 12 boards against Orlando. When he stays out of foul trouble and avoids the mid-post jumpers, he’s a legit impact center.
He still needs to finish more efficiently and limit the forced post-ups, but the tools are obvious: length, rim protection, high IQ help rotations. You have to think the Cavs are praying for a nice jump from him later in the season.
Vrenz Bleijenbergh: The Everything Bench Guy
Vrenz has transitioned beautifully into a hybrid bench role.
He’s logging major minutes—31 and 32 in two of the wins—and filling gaps everywhere. A few dimes here, a few rebounds there, a chasedown block or a skip pass that turns the tide.
When the Cavs need versatility, Vrenz is their guy. He’s the team’s switch-everything connector off the pine.
The Rest of the Rotation: Defined Roles, Defined Results
Simmons is the muscle in the backcourt. Attacks closeouts. Guards 1–3. Consistent.
Kuzma is off the bench now, and that’s probably right. 3-and-D-lite, rebounder, stabilizer.
Sexton has gone from combo scorer to microburst energy guy—see: +20 in 15 minutes vs Orlando.
Winslow, Griffin, Huerter all play when needed. There’s a hierarchy now.
12–8, 4-Game Win Streak, and Climbing
It’s not that Cleveland’s blowing teams out (though they did against Indiana). It’s that they’re winning the margins. They’re finding five-man groups that work. They’re developing rhythm.
And they’re doing it without maxing anyone’s usage or playing hero ball.
If you’re sleeping on the Cavs, this might be your last chance. The big move wasn’t the trade. It was the decision to trust Braun. To promote Lawson. To hand the keys to Langford.
And now, all they’re doing is winning.
Verdict: This isn’t a superstar story. It’s a lineup story. And Cleveland’s found one that works. At least until the article curse hits.
