The Cleveland Cavaliers played three games this past week and went 1-2. They lost to the high-flying Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns, but came back and beat the Orlando Magic Saturday. The Cavs also got their rookie sensation and big man Evan Mobley back, which was really important, considering they had lost five games in a row.
It was a tale of playing two of the league’s best in Brooklyn and Phoenix, the latter of whom are winners of 16 games in row, and then playing the hapless Magic team that have only won four games this year. So, the Cavaliers got the necessary win on Saturday and are now 10-10 on the season after playing 20 games.
This week the Cavs players again played tough and are certainly looking like a much better unit that is starting to learn how to win more close games. A year ago, the team was 10-11 on the season. One doesn’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves but this year certainly doesn’t have the same type of feel as last year when the team started losing multiple games in several stretches that took that final record to a dismal 22-50.
With Mobley and the other two big men, Jarrett Allen and Lauri Markkanen, in the starting unit, now teams are having to adjust to the taller lineup and that has created more opportunities and advantages for the Cavs.
With that, lets grade the Cleveland ball players for the week.
Jarrett Allen Grade: A
Allen was outstanding this past week. He went for 25 points and 11 rebounds in the game against the Phoenix Suns. In this game he was 9-for-10 from the field while playing 38 minutes. His teammates played the Suns tough but couldn’t stay with the Suns late.
In the game against the Orlando Magic, Allen added 19 points and another 11 rebounds. He was 8-for-9 from the field in that game that included a couple nice lob passes from his point guard Darius Garland that he threw down for dunks. He continues to get more and more confident on the floor and that is a big plus for Cleveland.
Darius Garland grade: B
Darius Garland had a decent game against the Suns. He added 19 points and had 7 assists. However, he went 0-6 from there point land and that’s not going to help the cause, and he was 9-for-27 against Brooklyn, even while he had 24 points, to go with 11 assists.
He came back Saturday and was outstanding against Orlando, though, and was making plays all throughout the game. He had 26 points and also dished 11 assists. He was excellent in getting his teammates involved early and often. He made several alley oop passes to Jarrett Allen for easy dunks, and shot 11-of-21.
Isaac Okoro grade: C
Again, Isaac Okoro is the one player in the starting unit, that I don’t think should be starting. He’s still not a very consistent shooter from anywhere outside of the lane, and in the restricted area, really. He played 35 minutes in the loss to the Suns and only added five points and three boards. He only put up eight shots and made two, so not a great night offensively. Okoro has played good defense but not stellar and that is a concern moving forward.
In the win against the Magic, Okoro played 26 minutes and contributed seven points and five rebounds. However, he turned the ball over four times. Taking care of the ball has to be a top priority and Okoro is really pressing.
Lauri Markkanen grade: B
Lauri Markkanen did a nice job in his return to the starting five against Brooklyn, and had 22 points and eight rebounds then. The big man, who’s also a deadly sharpshooter from outside, added 14 points in the game against the Suns. He also added 11 boards. He only went 2-for-7 from three-point land. In the Orlando game, he was even better going for 20 points and five rebounds, and he was a nice 4-for-8 from beyond the three-point arc.
Evan Mobley grade: A
The Cavs missed Mobley during their five-game losing streak, in which he was out for four of those. That was very evident Saturday when his presence was felt again on both ends of the court as he blocked four shots on the defensive end and also added 13 points and nine rebounds on the offensive end.
His aggressive nature too where he attacks the rim and also uses a nice baby hook can’t be undersold. It’s all of this that is adding to Mobley getting a lot of praise, from not only his teammates, coaches and Cavaliers fans, but also from the rest of the NBA it seems.
Cavs bench grade: B
It was an up and down week with what the Cavs were able to produce off the bench. In the game against the Suns, the bench added 52 points. That included 14 points from Kevin Love, 15 points from Ricky Rubio and 23 points from Cedi Osman. Thought the team lost, the contributions from the bench were well needed.
In the win against Orlando the bench didn’t add as much but they still added timely shots. Osman continued to hit big outside shot after another.
In that one, Osman added 10 points, but his two three-pointers he made with defensive hands in his face were outstanding makes.