On Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers put up a valiant effort against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets. However, the Cavs did not come out of the matchup as the victors. Ball had 17 points, while Miles Bridges kicked in 30 points and seven rebounds to guide the Hornets to the win. The Cavaliers were without point guard Darius Garland, who is battling an ankle injury. Collin Sexton had a game-high 33 points, while Ricky Rubio pitched in 15 points and 10 assists.
On Saturday, the Cavs came up with a nice win over the Atlanta Hawks behind a great effort from Rubio with 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and the team overall had six players in double figures; not bad. But there is a clear hole on the team at the moment, generally speaking.
The glaring weakness on the Cavs roster right now is the fact that they don’t have a reliable wing-player.
Last year’s fifth overall pick, Isaac Okoro, has looked decent after Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff dropped him from the starting lineup in favor of Lauri Markkanen. Okoro has shot 50 percent from the field, but has only one three-pointer. Okoro could become a good two-way wing, but his offensive game needs a lot of help.
Speaking of Markkanen, he’s been okay since being inserted into the starting lineup. He’s averaging 11.7 points per game, but shooting only 30 percent from the field. He’s also started off cold from deep, shooting 5-of-18 from there on the year. Cedi Osman had a great opener, scoring 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. With that being said, it’s hard to rely on Osman, as he’s been inconsistent his entire career. Luckily for the Cavs, there are a great group of wings ready to enter the NBA in 2022.
From Jaden Hardy to Chet Holmgren, there are a lot of intriguing players in this year’s upcoming draft class. As I’ve said, the Cavs desperately need wing help, so let’s take a look at some of the guys general manager Koby Altman and company should target early then, and/or beyond.