Cavs: 2020 NBA Draft prospect Onyeka Okongwu could complement Larry Nance Jr., Kevin Love very well

How Okongwu could complement Love very well for the Cleveland Cavaliers

Okongwu again could from a highly capable passing big man duo in instances with him and Love, similarly to Nance, on the floor as a pairing.

Okongwu would provide more of that ability out of the high post than Drummond, I would imagine, and the former could be able to have a quality two-man game involving relocation a bit at times with Love near the wing. If defenses begin to anticipate that, it could lead to other cutting looks to pieces such as Porter, Windler and/or Cedi Osman throughout games, too.

Along with that, with Okongwu showing some flashes of face-up ability at USC, with Love in the game with him, it could enable Okongwu to have some room to take advantage in those situations. Or, he could put the ball on the deck/get to the basket or help get the ball to Windler/others on the wing if the defense collapses to him.

Switching gears to the defensive end, Okongwu’s versatility, fluidity/quickness and team defensive instincts could help Love/others as a rotator/closeout defender considerably more effectively than Drummond, for instance.

Of course, Okongwu could aid Love and company in stretches at the 5 as a high-level rim protector, again, though, and with his capability in that realm, it could enable Love to focus more on the defensive glass, to an extent.

That could lead to more outlet transition feeds from Love to Sexton, Cedi and others, as a result and result in easier offense for the Wine and Gold in that sense.

So, anyway, from my perspective, with how he could fit in with a number of pieces and very well even early on, especially Nance and Love for stretches, and with his versatility defensively/rim protecting instincts/timing, Okongwu should be firmly in the conversation for the Cavs in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Now, if they ended up going with Okoro, Vassell and/or Avdija, for example, I’d be more than fine with that. And/or if the Cavs ended up bringing back the expiring Tristan Thompson in the upcoming free agency period, which, per one source of Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor in a report (subscription required), is currently a ’50-50” possibility, but we’ll have to see on that, anyhow.

If Cleveland ends up going with Okongwu, though, that’d seemingly kibosh the TT coming back possibility.

Looking forward, however, either way, Okongwu could be a key two-way contributor/member of the Cavs’ core as they hopefully progress in their rebuild, and realistically if Drummond does not sign a long-term contract extension with Cleveland, of which is unclear at this point.

I have my doubts about that possibility, though, with Drummond being a non-shooter and not being switchable if needed at times, honestly.