Cavs draft: 2 realistic expectations for Onyeka Okongwu if he’s the pick
By Mason Cole
![USC big man Onyeka Okongwu (#21) celebrates a near-win. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) USC big man Onyeka Okongwu (#21) celebrates a near-win. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/1ff11ef864c01790bc81933299b0d0c124afb4848f13cdc70df49b502ddd8fc9.jpg)
#2: Okongwu builds camaraderie with the Cavs young guards
If Okongwu is selected by the Cavaliers in the 2020 NBA Draft, he will be joining a team with plenty of young players especially at the guard positions. In the past two drafts, the Cavs have added Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr., all three of whom are hoping to take leaps in the 2020-21 season.
If Okongwu were able to build chemistry with any one of the guards mentioned above, the Cavaliers would be thrilled. With his athletic ability, Okongwu should be able to develop into a key pick-and-roll lob threat at the NBA level.
One possible two-man game that the Cavaliers could feature next season could be Garland and Okongwu. Garland, who will be entering into his second season in the league, will hopefully be in better shape and seemingly is, and should be more comfortable at some point next season. And if Garland can bounce back in the 2020-21 season, his quickness, shooting and passing would make him tough to stop in pick-and-roll scenarios with Okongwu.
Similar things can be said about Sexton and Porter Jr., and even more so if the pair continue to improve upon their scoring abilities.
If the Cavs drafted Okongwu, it would be obvious that Altman would be planning on him fitting right in alongside the Cavs’ young core. And if that possibility comes to fruition, I think the Cleveland Cavaliers would be hoping for Okongwu to begin to fill the shoes of Tristan Thompson, as well as develop chemistry with the squad’s young core.
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If he were able to do that, the Cavaliers organization would be ecstatic.