Cleveland Cavaliers: Three things that jump out from recent games

#3: The Cavs need to add an impact defender in the 2020 NBA Draft

The Cavs have the league’s second-worst defensive rating, and though the effort has seemed to be better under Bickerstaff, and I’ve liked the increased aggression there, the Cavs need to add an impact defender in the 2020 NBA Draft. Tankathon’s current projections have the Cavaliers slotting in with having with the second overall pick in the upcoming draft, to contextualize, but we definitely are well-aware that lottery projections now are so difficult to predict.

Regardless, Cedi Osman has mightily struggled on the wing on the defensive end, and while Cleveland maybe selecting LaMelo Ball of the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks would be mostly about playmaking and feasibly, the potential for high level shot-making, if he can add strength/weight, he likely would have a higher ceiling defensively than Osman.

Ball does perhaps have the capability to play on the wing a good bit with him being 6-foot-8, and his 1.67 steals per outing before his NBL season ended due to a reported foot injury indicate Ball could be a factor at least early on playing passing lanes, which could then allow him to get out on the break, where he is dynamic.

Along with that, Israeli Premier League prospect Deni Avdija of club Maccabi Tel Aviv, though he’ll develop more on-ball offensively and feasibly as a shooter, would likely be an upgrade over Osman defensively. ESPN’s Mike Schmitz is high on Avdija (not just factoring in this clip), who is also seemingly more fluid in off-screen situations than Osman.

I’m not dismissing risk with Avdija, however, and in 24 games in Euroleague play thus far, the 6-foot-8 Avdija has only played 13.9 minutes per outing, according to Real GM.

To me, Auburn’s Isaac Okoro would be a logical selection, and I’d definitely take him over Avdija at this point for Cleveland, and feasibly in the top 4, and with the lottery rules now, who knows if the Cavs can get a higher pick than that?

Okoro has terrific defensive instincts, is developed physically at 225 pounds, and even though he’d be a bit undersized at 6-foot-6 at the 3, Okoro is sturdy enough to wall off drivers and wall up in the low and mid post against 3’s and some 4’s.

Furthermore, his 1.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per outing, per Sports Reference, show how he is particularly alert as a rotator. In a defense where Bickerstaff wants to double a fair amount, Okoro’s feel there, particularly when helping Garland or potentially Osman in lineups in with him or Sexton in some instances, could pay dividends, too.

As Schmitz also hit on, Okoro is a heck of an athlete, and in transition, his finishing flies off the screen. Plus, as Schmitz touched on, Okoro sees the floor well and could provide some secondary playmaking, much like Osman, too (but again, is much more athletic).

Lastly, if the Cavs chose to go with a big man prospect in Dayton’s Obi Toppin, in particular, who could be a developmental Kevin Love replacement (who Cleveland could maybe trade this summer), Toppin’s feel off the ball could be Nance-esque as an instinctive rotator. That’s in relation to as a help/weak side shot blocking presence as well.

Toppin, who has also been a tremendous finisher at the other end this year that’s shown stretch big potential, too, with 19.8 points per game on 67.2 percent effective field goal shooting and a 39.0 percent three-point shooting clip, per Sports Reference, would likely add help defensively right away.

Additionally, our own Tyler Meitin previously highlighted that, and how Toppin’s athleticism has played into his production. He’s averaged 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per-36 minutes, too.

Plus, with Tristan Thompson seemingly having a good possibility of playing elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent this summer, big men that project as high energy and rock solid players in this rebuild such as Toppin would help mitigate defensive deficiencies that Garland, and Osman, in particular, have to an extent.

Nonetheless, if the Cavs did not go with a wing early on in the 2020 NBA Draft, I’d look for them to go with Garland and Sexton starting in the backcourt, assuming Garland can get stronger/more explosive with a full offseason, and have Porter starting at the 3. KPJ has really taken off as the season’s progressed and can hold his own defensively starting at the 3 next season over Osman.

Osman, along with Dylan Windler, who is going to miss his rookie season due to complications related to the reported stress reaction in his left leg, could realistically become key bench pieces next year, anyway, though.

At any rate, overall, I’ve been pleased with how the Cleveland Cavaliers are competing under Bickerstaff and even in recent losses, they are playing much better than they were in a good chunk of games leading into the All-Star break.