Cleveland Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro should start on Opening Night

The Cleveland Cavaliers played it smart in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The Cleveland Cavaliers went relatively under-the-radar during the offseason. Aside from a few very minor trades, and a few low-risk free agent signings/re-signings of Damyean Dotson/re-signing Matthew Dellavedova, there wasn’t a relatively big splash in The Land.

However, one aspect of the NBA where all Cavaliers’ fans had their attention focused on recently was the 2020 NBA Draft. Cleveland had been tied for the best odds to land the first overall pick in this year’s draft, so when they fell to the fifth pick again for a second year in a row, there was a bit of an anxious feeling in the air among everyone.

During the draft, as the Chicago Bulls selected Patrick Williams, the Cleveland Cavaliers knew they had a wide array of options open for them.

Ultimately, with the fifth pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Cavaliers selected Isaac Okoro, albeit there were rumors/reports of a potential trade down, though, and a trade down reportedly proposed by the New York Knicks. But this was a logical selection.

Okoro played 28 games as a freshman at Auburn before the season came to an abrupt halt due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. In those 28 games, the young 6-foot-6 forward averaged 12.9 points per game, along with 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Isaac Okoro plays the role of a much-needed wing player for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland is still in their rebuilding phase, but it is clear they have a vision in mind for how they want the team to look moving forward. In my opinion, part of that vision should consist of the Auburn Tiger-turned-Cleveland Cavalier playing in the starting lineup.

The projected lineup I believe the Cavs should run is Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, Kevin Love and Andre Drummond.

Here, I’ll explain why Okoro should start for the Cavs on Opening Night at the 3 spot.

The first relates to defense.