CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to finish with one of the league’s worst records. That doesn’t mean it’s been a lost season.

Just look at Saturday night’s victory against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Kevin Love led the way. That was always the idea, with the front office giving him a hefty $120 million contract extension to anchor the post-LeBron rebuild. Love dragged his achy left foot through the first week before choosing surgery. His absence, which extended beyond the three-month mark, quickly derailed Cleveland’s plan to compete and led to one of the most disastrous starts in franchise history.

But winning games wasn’t the only goal. This season was also about player development, establishing a culture rooted in toughness and resiliency, adding future assets and answering questions.

The bumpy journey without Love has led the Cavaliers to where they are today -- and it’s not all bad. Because of his injury and the losses that followed, they will be able to keep their protected 2019 first-round pick instead of giving it away to the Atlanta Hawks, which will allow them to add another youngster (Zion Williamson? RJ Barrett? Ja Morant?) to this nucleus -- a pleasant byproduct. Love’s loss also accelerated the growth of a few of the core pieces. Now those potential franchise building blocks have started to pave a path back to respectability.

“I think in the last week or 10 days or so, just talking about the bright spots, those guys have stepped up,” Love said. “Between Collin (Sexton) and Cedi (Osman), they’ve done a great job. Tough night for Larry (Nance Jr.) tonight, but he’s been showing some bright moments. I mentioned Z (Ante Zizic), a lot of guys stepping up and filling the stat sheet for us, and a lot of good things going on.”

If you’re looking to identify Cleveland’s core, Love just helped. It’s those four -- Sexton, Osman, Nance and Zizic -- along with Love, provided the Cavs don’t get blown away by a trade offer this summer. Tristan Thompson, out again with a sprained foot, is tough to include in this group because he will be an unrestricted free agent following next season. Same goes for Jordan Clarkson.

Sexton, the eighth-overall pick of the 2018 NBA draft, continues to evolve. Osman was named a Rising Star, one of 10 international players asked to participate in the showcase for first- and second-year players during All-Star Weekend. Nance inked a contract extension before the season and is averaging career-bests in points (9.1), rebounds (8.2), assists (3.0) and steals (1.4). The Cavs picked up Zizic’s contract option early in the year and have been thrilled with his progress.

“Very gratifying,” Drew said. “The thing I always ask myself and always look at is where are they now as far as their play is concerned. It’s a very easy answer for me. They are not the same players they were at the very beginning of the season and they’ve certainly grown. They have been able to grow through playing time, been able to grow through mistakes, they’re starting to get a feel for different situations and they are starting to understand what it takes to win. Sometimes offensively it may not be your night and you have to learn how to affect the game in other areas and I think both guys have started to do that.”

In the 112-107 win against Memphis, Sexton scored 20 points on 8-of-16 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. He added six rebounds, five assists and two steals. It’s the 13th game he has scored at least 20 and the fifth time in the last seven. No rookie has reached double figures more than Sexton, who has hit that mark 51 times.

Part of the quintet that held off Memphis’ late rally, Sexton showed the poise and composure that sometimes lacked in the first few months. He played off the ball every now and then, looking comfortable in a different role. When the ball was in his hands, he navigated screens with more maturity, creating space to get his shot off and finding passing lanes, something that has been problematic.

He even knocked down outside shots, including a timely triple late in the fourth quarter. Considered a black mark on the resume coming out of Alabama, Sexton’s jumper has gotten better with plenty of hard work. Of rookies that have logged more than 300 total minutes, Sexton ranks third in 3-point percentage, hitting 39.5 percent of his deep balls.

Osman, like Sexton, made big plays late, turning a sloppy start into a promising finish.

His clutch 3-pointer gave Cleveland the lead after Jonas Valanciunas had just ripped it away. Then came Osman’s powerful dunk off Sexton’s outlet pass that forced the Grizzlies to call timeout.

Remember earlier this season when Osman appeared frantic in those moments? Remember the blunder he made against the Orlando Magic that cost Cleveland a win on the road? This time, the second-year man whose confidence has never been higher came through late.

“I thought both guys played with a lot of composure,” Drew said of Sexton and Osman. “Going down the stretch it was important to maintain a rhythm. We didn’t get sped up. Being in close games like that is very beneficial for both guys. The more they are in that type of situation the more they will learn from it. Tonight I thought they really played well going down the stretch.”

Sexton and Osman are two symbols of player development. So, too, is Zizic.

Dealing with sturdy Valanciunas and feisty Joakim Noah, Zizic scored 18 points to go with seven rebounds in 30 minutes. The second-year center who had a tough time cracking the early-season rotation is averaging 12.1 points on 56 percent shooting to go with 8.9 rebounds in 14 games as a starter.

“Big Z is kind of like the forgotten man,” Drew said. “We don’t talk much about him, but at the end of the day you look at the stat sheet and see he is always flirting with a double-double. Tonight I thought he played a really solid game against a really good center. He just continues to get better.”

When Love got pulled around the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter because he had reached his minute limit, the Cavs looked vulnerable.

But Sexton, Osman, Nance and Zizic -- the Core Four -- along with steady veteran Matthew Dellavedova, delivered.

The kids learned how to survive without Love, who missed 50 games and watched helplessly as the team went 11-39 without him. That, of course, wasn’t the original plan. It made things tougher. The inexperience showed. Too much was asked of Osman and Sexton. It tested the team’s psyche and chemistry. But that stretch might end up being a gift. And now they get to benefit even more.

“You can look at the short time that he’s been back and it’s pretty clear. To see the flow when he’s in the game and both of those guys out there with him, the ball moves, they play off one another very well and I can see some real camaraderie between the three of those guys when they are out there on the floor and when one does something the other two go over,” Drew said when discussing how Love has helped Sexton and Osman. “I don’t think it’s too early to say. Him on the floor certainly opens up a lot of things for Collin, Cedi and the rest of our guys. We’ve missed him terribly. Just happy he’s back and hopefully he can stay healthy for the remainder of the season.”

No matter where the Cavs finish in the standings, that shouldn’t define this season. It was never supposed to be the sole marker for success.