Cavs: 3 reasons to strongly consider Onyeka Okongwu in 2020 NBA Draft

The Cleveland Cavaliers will likely have a top five selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, and even with likely that high of a selection, they should strongly consider going with USC’s Onyeka Okongwu.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been playing better under the direction of head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who has been in that role since the All-Star break, and I’m glad that Bickerstaff and Cleveland reportedly agreed on a four-year contract extension on Tuesday.

Though the Cavs are only 19-46 on the 2019-20 season, since Bickerstaff’s been the head coach, they are 5-6, and have a fairly respectable net rating of minus-3.2.

While the squad is still turning it over a ton and at the highest rate in the league in that span, in large part because of youth and Andre Drummond still working the kinks out, the Cavs have the NBA’s sixth-highest assist rate post-All-Star, according to NBA.com. Their effective field goal shooting clip is 10th, too; in relation to the rest of the season, only six teams have a lower assist rate and Cleveland’s 22nd in effective field goal shooting.

Nonetheless, even with Cleveland playing better lately, this team still has a ways to go before they are going to be a postseason team, I believe, in the Eastern Conference.

The primary reason for that is the Cavs still having so many defensive issues, and it’s going to take multiple years for pieces such as Collin Sexton, even with him improving on-ball this year, Kevin Porter Jr., and likely Darius Garland to be mostly competent defensively. Cedi Osman has had a world of trouble defending starting wings, too.

Along with that, even with him showing more activity as a rotator lately, everybody and their brother, sister and cat and dog knows that Kevin Love has his limitations defensively, and in pick-and-roll coverage, in particular.

So at this point, and even with the Cavaliers currently projected to have the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, according to Tankathon, assuming they keep it (if it’s outside the top 10, it’d go to the New Orleans Pelicans), Cleveland should strongly consider selecting USC big man Onyeka Okongwu.

One of the reasons general manager Koby Altman and the Cavs should strongly consider Okongwu, if he’s available, regardless of selection, is replenishing big man depth.