Cavs: 1 stud and 1 dud from loss to Memphis in opener

Cavs: 1 dud from loss to Memphis – Small forward position

We’re discarding the very concept of his column right away and shoehorning an entire position into our “1 dud” framework. The biggest weakness on this team is at the small forward position, which the team attempted to address by drafting Isaac Okoro No. 5 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft (still less than a calendar year ago). Okoro’s defense has been good, especially for a teenager, but offensively his shot has looked broken and he has failed to distinguish himself.

That led to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff moving him to the bench after starting him all of last season and in the preseason. Instead, he started Lauri Markkanen in the aforementioned “Triple Towers” look that saw success in the preseason. It saw inconsistent success, but the takeaway is that this team doesn’t know what to do at the small forward position.

Markkanen shot 4-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-7 from 3-point range. He did pull in nine rebounds, but he was routinely taken advantage of defensively as he allowed multiple Memphis perimeter players to penetrate inside. Against a team with a legitimate star at the small forward position, things could get even worse. His night didn’t get any better when Ja Morant stuffed him at the rim late in the second quarter.

Dylan Windler is the future hope at the position, but he has been limited to just 31 games the past two seasons. What did he do Wednesday night? Nothing, as he was sidelined due to injury yet again. If he can get and stay healthy there is still a path to relevance for Windler: some players injured early can shake that off and play a long career, but others are unable to break free and secure a spot in the league.

Cedi Osman is the veteran backup at the 3, and he started off hot on Wednesday night and ended 5-for-6 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown. The problem is that he surely gave all of that up on the defensive end, where he was atrocious. His ball-handling was incredibly hit-or-miss as well; late in the first quarter he caught a pass in transition and whipped it to Collin Sexton for an assist. Then at the start of the quarter, he had two of the worst turnovers you will see, passes to nowhere that ignited fastbreak points the other way.

There is no savior here; the Cavs have to figure something out at the position from who they have. Markkanen should play better, Okoro should improve, Windler might get healthy. It won’t be as bad as this every night. Yet much of the optimism about this season will be dragged down if the Cavs can’t find a more tenable solution at the 3.

Let’s take a step back, though. It was a solid showing from a young team on opening night, with their newly-paid center playing well and Evan Mobley having a solid showing with 17 points and nine rebounds. They lost, but they were in the game late on the road against a better team. There are worst ways to start the season.