When writing this, the Cleveland Cavaliers have disappointed on the road against the Orlando Magic, losing in back-to-back games in the 2024 NBA playoffs. Admittedly, when I had the idea to write this article, the Cavaliers were up 2-0 against the Magic, and I thought it would be a fun breakdown aside from all the analysis of why the Cavaliers looked so good. But now, I write this article in hopes of having a fun read in between all the negativity we have seen surrounding the Cavs since the Magic tied the series 2-2. With that being said, referencing the tweet below with a graphic by Basketpack, I will rank the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting 5 based on the sneakers they wear. As a sneaker fanatic, I will look at the design, notability, and ultimately personal opinion of the shoe model to decide which Cavs starter has the best sneaker model on the court. Let’s keep this light-hearted, as the rhetoric around the Cavs as of late has not been positive.

Has JA ever worn a different pair of shoes 😭 pic.twitter.com/vWH6Div5kh

— HQ (@Cleve1andHQ) April 24, 2024

5. EVAN MOBLEY – ADIDAS ADIZERO SELECT
Look, Evan, I know you are an Adidas athlete, but these are just ugly and basic. There are so many better Adidas models out there; your teammate, Donovan Mitch, has his own signature shoe line with Adidas, yet you decide to wear the most basic pair of Adidas shoes on the market. Evan comes in dead last as the Adizero Select is a boring, plain, and basic pair of basketball shoes that are destined to hit outlet shelves for pennies on the dollar.

4. JARRETT ALLEN – NIKE KYRIE 3
Jarrett, please, wear something different. I do not hate the Kyrie 3 by any means, but Jarrett Allen has been wearing the same black and white “tuxedo” Kyrie 3’s since he was a Brooklyn Net. He has been wearing these shoes for so long that Kyrie is not even a Nike athlete anymore. Let’s switch to something more modern with better technology and wear those for the next 3-5 seasons as he has in this pair of Kyries.

3. DONOVAN MITCHELL – ADIDAS DON ISSUE 5/6
Maybe I will get some hate for listing Donovan’s signature shoe at 3, and I understand why. He is currently our star player and his signature shoe line, and I do like how the DON Issue 5/6’s look and have no issues with them. I put these at 3 for two reasons: I like the shoes I put in front of the DON Issue 5/6 more in terms of design, and Donovan is always going to wear his signature shoes, so I cannot give any suggestions on what he should wear. All in all, no bad blood with his selection.

2. DARIUS GARLAND – NEW BALANCE TWO WXY V4
This may be a hot take for any of my fellow sneaker fans, but I love the New Balance Two Wxy V4. Darius is a New Balance athlete, and his sneaker selection in terms of on-court performance is more limited than the Nike or Adidas athletes on this list. This shoe looks phenomenal on the court in my opinion, and with Cavs color options for sale to basketball fans on New Balance’s website, I have to give credit where credit is due.

1. MAX STRUS – NIKE KOBE 6
Strus is the obvious number 1 pick here in terms of sneaker selection. His main on-court selection is the Kobe 6, one of the most iconic basketball models of all time. Strus benefits from being a Nike athlete without a signature shoe or a shoe the brand suggests he wear so he can bring out a plethora of colors and models to up his on-court style. As a Cavs fan and sneaker fan, I always look for what Strus is wearing on the court, and because of this, Strus is the king of sneakers when it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers.