Cleveland Cavaliers: The top 20 rookie debuts in team history
By Mark Wilson
#10 (tied): Isaac Okoro (Fifth overall), Dec. 23, 2020
Game Score: 11.1
With the backcourt locked up in SexLand, the Cavaliers went hunting for frontcourt depth in 2020. After reportedly considering options at the Four, as our Robbie DiPaola then hit on, the Wine and Gold landed on defensive-minded and under-17 gold medal winner Isaac Okoro. Starting all 67 games he played last season, Okoro flashed 3-and-D potential and appears to be the Cavs’ wing-of-choice moving forward.
On debut, Okoro recorded 11 points (4-5 FG), three rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes. Cleveland’s 7-point win would come against the Charlotte Hornets and future Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball.
#10 (Tied): Zydrunas Ilgauskas (20th overall), Oct. 31, 1997
Game Score: 11.1
An underrated first-round selection in the ridiculous 1996 NBA Draft, a foot injury would derail Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ entire rookie season before it even got started. Ilgauskas’ return however would mark the beginning of a 771-game career with the Cavs, becoming their all-time leader in blocks (1269) while ranking second in minutes (21820), points (10616) and rebounds (5904).
On debut, 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas recorded a dominant 16 points and 16 rebounds (8 offensive) in a 10-point loss to the Houston Rockets. Even more impressive was the opposing center he faced – Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon.
#9: Ron Harper (Eighth overall), Nov. 1, 1986
Game Score: 11.2
Long before he was a defensive stopper on the second three-peat Chicago Bulls, Ron Harper was a high flying wing who could do it all. Drafted eighth overall by a Cavaliers team lacking scoring and playmaking, “Harp” quickly became their go-to guy as a rookie, averaging 22.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals in 37.4 minutes per game.
His debut would mark the beginning of three-and-a-half seasons with the Cavs and despite 7 turnovers, Harper posted 25 points, 5 assists and 2 steals in a 7-point win over the Washington Bullets.
#7 (tied): Terrell Brandon (11th overall), Nov. 1, 1991
Game Score: 12.2
Beginning his career as backup point guard to Price, Terrell Brandon’s resilience would pay off when he was handed the reigns following Price’s departure. Improving his scoring average from 7.4 to 19.5 points per game in six seasons as a Cavalier, “Tee Bee” would be named to back-to-back All-Star teams in 1996 and 1997.
Filling in for the absent Price on debut, the Oregon native showed what the future had in store, posting 15 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in 30 minutes. The Cavs’ 11-point loss would come against a team Brandon, now a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, had intimate knowledge of – the would-be-finalist Portland Trail Blazers.
#7 (tied): Roy Hinson (20th overall), Oct. 28, 1993
Game Score: 12.2
Like Terrell Brandon, undersized big man Roy Hinson also showed significant progress as a Cavalier, improving his scoring average from 5.5 to19.6 points per game in just three seasons. A participant in the famous 1986 Slam Dunk contest, Hinson flashed his defensive potential on debut recording 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 blocks in 27 minutes of action against the Knicks.
#6: Dirk Minniefield (Second round, 33rd overall), Oct. 25, 1985
Game Score: 12.3
Named Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball in 1979, Dirk Minniefield would be waived and traded a total of three times before finally making his debut for the Cavaliers. In a 1-point loss to second-year guard Michael Jordan and the Bulls, Minniefield posted 11 points (3-4 FG), 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in just 16 minutes.