This now-past season for the Cleveland Cavaliers was filled with a lot of growth. Through all the losses and drama, the Cavaliers were able to establish a core set of players to build around for the future. Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro and Jarrett Allen are the members of this young core, having playstyles that fit seamlessly with each other.
With an important offseason looming, it’s up to the Cavs to surround this core with the right players to further enhance their play on their quest to becoming competitive once again.
The “core-4” as they’ve been seemingly deemed, has things to work on as well and an article written by Spencer Davies of Basketballnews.com discusses what the Cavs reportedly would like the core players to focus on during the offseason.
With that said, here, I’ll talk about what I would like each member of the Cavaliers’ young core to focus on improving during the offseason.
We’ll begin with Okoro.
Where Okoro needs to improve for the Cavs: Mid-range shooting
With the fifth pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Cavaliers decided to take a chance on Isaac Okoro, a 6-foot-5 wing with high defensive upside. The fit alongside Sexton and Garland looked seamless and as the season progressed, Okoro looked to showcase a skill set that warranted his comparisons of Andre Iguodala and Jimmy Butler.
With his rookie season now over, Okoro has exceeded the expectations set for him in his first year, being Cleveland’s best perimeter defender and having a jumper that was better than advertised. Looking deeper into his jump shot, this was the biggest question mark for him coming out of Auburn. First looks at it during the Cavs’ preseason games showed that it seemed serviceable and as he became more and more comfortable, he attempted more and more three-point shots.
Over his last 12 games, Okoro attempted 5 threes per game which were more than Collin Sexton over that same span. With continued improvements in this area, the hope is that Okoro can take this end-of-season run and have that type of aggression as a shooter next year.
With the progression we’ve seen from Okoro on the offensive end, the biggest gripe has been the lack of mid-range attempts and for him to take the next step as a scorer, this is an area he must improve. This season, Okoro was just four-of-24 on shots between 10 feet and inside the three-point line.
Looking towards the offseason, working on this area will be essential for him to improve as an on-ball player. A potential jump in the mid-range game does not have to be exponential but having this area be one that he’s comfortable in would help to open up his offensive ability.
Where Allen needs to improve for the Cavs: Consistency
Jarrett Allen was the last piece added to the young core, traded to the Cavaliers by the Brooklyn Nets for an expiring contract and a late-round pick being added into the James Harden trade. With the Cavs, Allen would average a career-high in points per game as he looks to be a formidable lob threat for the foreseeable future.
Allen is set to be a restricted free agent this offseason and every sign points to the Cavs retaining him. Initial reports state Allen could receive up to $20 million annually and one NBA agent reportedly indicated Allen could receive an offer of up to $25 million annually; we’ll have to see, but generally, talks can be had on whether or not he is worth near that range.
There were plenty of times this past season where Allen had looked like a potential $20 million per year player with one group of games starting in late January and ending in early March. This group of games was a 17-game-sample where he averaged 15.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, shooting 66.2 percent from the field.
This version of Allen was during the Cavs’ transition away from Andre Drummond, illustrating that above-the-rim ability and rim protection that is talked about.
There had also been times this past season where Allen had looked out of it, with questions about his effort arising. To end the season, Allen averaged just 9.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, shooting just 47.8 percent from the floor.
All of this was not Allen’s fault however as the team’s top facilitator, Darius Garland, hadn’t played, Allen was returning from a concussion, and the effort levels from the team weren’t at the highest.
The biggest thing for Allen to stay consistent for the length of the season is for him to add strength. This would allow him to hold his own against tougher opponents as well as improve his presence in the paint, and for what it’s worth, that’s something being stressed for Allen to build up this offseason, per Davies’ report.
Albeit that player we saw through that 17-game stretch is one that is worth $20 million and for the Cavs to maximize his potential, they should look to add more playmaking and shooting around Allen, allowing for him to be effective and efficient around the rim.
Where Garland needs to improve for the Cavs: Three-point shooting aggression
The massive strides that Darius Garland has made in his play over the course of his career have helped to accelerate this Cleveland rebuild. Drafted with the fifth pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Garland’s rookie season was a forgettable one. Coming off a meniscus injury, he clearly wasn’t himself but still left some optimism in his play.
Garland would work all offseason and this past season, he was able to show why he was worth the fifth pick. Garland averaged 18.2 points and 6.3 assists per game as a starter this season, shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three. His starter splits really showcase his play as his reserve minutes all came as he was returning from injury, tanking his statistics.
Through everything Garland was able to showcase, his ability to be the team’s top facilitator while being the second scoring option has shined bright. Even with his offensive improvements, there are still areas that Garland can improve on with the biggest being his three-point aggression, of which is reportedly being stressed to both him and Sexton even.
Drafted out of Vanderbilt, Garland was known for his Damian Lillard-like shooting, having the ability to get the shot off from anywhere on the court. Though we have seen moments of this, there has been more to be desired when it comes to his shooting.
In his second season, Garland attempted 5.1 threes per game as a starter, and of all guards to start at least 36 games, this ranked behind players like Coby White, Caris LeVert, Lonnie Walker IV and Theo Maledon.
Garland is too good of a shooter to be attempting as little amount of threes that he has. Garland’s best month came in April, a month in which he attempted 6.4 threes a game. This should be the number Garland looks to hit next season and knowing that he can, his scoring should take another leap.
Now, whether or not Garland and Sexton will end up attempting 8 threes per game, as has been reportedly what the Cavs are wanting from both, per Davies, remains to be seen; but the April clip again would be meaningful.
Where Sexton needs to improve for the Cavs: Playmaking/tunnel vision
Collin Sexton has been the most polarizing player over this Cavaliers rebuild. Despite being the team’s best and most consistent scorer, people still question the Young Bull’s abilities.
A quick rant — the hate on Sexton does not make sense. Day in and day out, he has fought hard for the Cavs whatever the outcome. He is the closest thing the team has to an All-Star and should be treated as one. Lastly, the sixth-man takes make no sense, so stop those.
The biggest gripe with Sexton during his career has been his playmaking and tunnel vision. Though Sexton has improved this area every year, there are still times where he could be better. Sexton has shown that he can be a 5-6 assist per game player as after criticism in regards to his playmaking, he would average 5.9 assists per game over the team’s last eight games.
Sexton’s playmaking and tunnel vision isn’t a burden on him anymore but rather something that he can look to make some minor improvements to.
His playmaking should be able to improve as the Cavaliers add more talent to the roster and as that happens, the stigma that surrounds the Young Bull should go away.