Cavs: Ranking the roster from least to most untouchable

Cavs: Ranking the roster from least to most untouchable – The polar opposites

Lauri Markkanen

The Cavs just sent out their best defender to bring in Lauri Markkanen and sign him to a lucrative four-year deal, so they certainly aren’t itching to let him go. Most likely they see him as the perfect offensive complement to both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen and trust each of those players to protect him defensively.

Markkanen also projects solely as a backup to those two as long as all three are in town. If Markkanen struggles to adjust to Cleveland and plays poorly, he could be a candidate to be included in a trade as matching salary. On the other hand, if he plays really well he could net them a significant asset at a more needed position. They signed him at something of a discount if he can rehabilitate his career and become a valued commodity in the league once again.

Isaac Okoro

The Cleveland Cavaliers desperately want Isaac Okoro to be a part of the franchise for the next decade or more. For that to happen it likely means he has delivered on his defensive potential as a true wing stopper, while improving enough as an offensive player to make opponents guard him. Development past that, into an offensive creator as well as an elite defender, can help Cleveland vault into contention.

One season in, however, all of that upside is still firmly in that bucket. While recognizing the difficulty of the assignments he got, regularly taking on the best wing scorers in the league, Okoro was not good defensively. He got beat often, he fouled, and the Cavs were a really bad defensive unit. That’s not to suggest Okoro is not on track to be a great defender; it just means we haven’t seen it yet. If we continue not to see it, the Cavs may make a move to get a two-way wing they can rely on, a move that includes sending out Okoro.