Cavs: 5 burning questions for 2021-22 NBA season
Cavs: 5 burning questions – Who is the answer at small forward?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have their center of the present and the future in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Some combination of Mobley and Lauri Markkanen are locked in at the 4. For now, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are the clear starters in the backcourt until and unless something changes.
That leaves small forward as the one position in desperate need of answers. The team drafted Isaac Okoro fifth overall in 2020 to plug him in as the answer, and indeed he started all 67 games he played in last season. The problem is that Okoro isn’t a small forward, not really. He is 6’5″ with a 6’8.5″ wingspan, which is a frame much better suited to defending opposing guards. Visually that seems like his best place as well, as he is fast and reactive enough to lock down guards but struggles with the size of bigger wings.
If the answer isn’t Okoro, is it on the roster? The next best pick would be Dylan Windler, a first-round pick from 2019 who has barely played due to injury. Over the course of a season, can Windler stay healthy and show that his combination of passing and shooting is the right fit? It’s not terribly likely, but it’s absolutely a possibility.
The team could get more creative. They could slide Lauri Markkanen up to the 3 to get him into the lineup more. They could play Lamar Stevens or Dean Wade, both best as power forwards, at small forward instead to give the team a different look.
Ultimately, if it’s not Okoro, then this team probably needs to focus on the position in next year’s draft. Finding a starting-caliber small forward is the most difficult find in the league, and the Cavs have not had one since the best one in NBA history left.
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The Cavs don’t need to rush things, but with some significant financial decisions coming this team needs to understand who it has, and who are the building blocks of the future. From Darius Garland and Collin Sexton to the growth of Evan Mobley, the future might be bright; this year should answer that for us.