I started to get a weird feeling as the final clock his 0.0 on the Cleveland Cavaliers scoreboard yesterday in the their game versus the Utah Jazz. However, I won’t lie that the loss stung a bit, and I was disappointed in the final possession of the 109-108 loss to the loss. That said, usually around this time of year I start feeling disappointed about the Cleveland Browns.
It was nearly a year ago that the Browns played the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. It was a back-and-forth game between the two interdivisional rivals, but the Ravens pulled out a 47-42 win. However, I expected to feel disappointed this time this year, because of the Browns. But, in no way did I think that I would be this disappointed and bummed about a Cleveland Cavalier loss before Christmas, when the rest of the sports world kicks off the NBA season. Even still, while I was disappointed, I was also hopeful.
Without Collin Sexton, and with Isaac Okoro not being able to hit water if he jumped out of a boat, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Ricky Rubio willed the Cavs to within one point of the Jazz with only a couple of seconds remaining. Cleveland at one point tied the game at 97 in the fourth, despite being down 97-82 in the same stanza, as our own John Suchan highlighted. That was impressive.
In reality, Darius Garland took a late deep three that bounced around the rim, but eventually fell to the floor. I don’t believe in moral victories, but there is a lot you can take away from the Cavaliers performance yesterday, and on top of that what options could they explore in the future to make this roster a real playoff contender. But, before we get into all of that, let’s take a look at our stud and our dud from yesterday’s game.
Cavs stud: Darius Garland
Darius Garland is finally proving he’s the true floor general and leader on the court when he’s in the game. This year he’s averaging nearly 20 points per game, while shooting 47 percent from the field. On top of that, he’s also dishing out seven assists per game this season. Yesterday, he was simply sensational.
Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell was on fire yesterday, but Garland matched him nearly basket for basket. Garland finished the game with 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting. However his team defense is where we are really seeing him take his game to that second level.
Yesterday, Garland nabbed four steals versus a good Jazz team. That’s not unheard of, but it’s not surprising considering Garland does so many things for the Cavaliers. I also, minus the end of the game, am very impressed by the confidence in Garland, and the self-awareness to know that without his Sexton in the lineup, it’s his turn to show you that he’s maturing very fast early in his career.
Now, I would have preferred he tried to attack to basket in the closing seconds of the game. Especially so considering the “Twin Towers” will be down there ready to grab a rebound or loose ball.
While the shot did miss, it wasn’t that off the mark. I am fully confident in saying that Garland is the best player on the Cavs roster right now, echoing our own Will Holtz’s sentiment. So in moments like those, I would not want anyone else to have the ball in their hands, than the point guard from Gary, Indiana.
Cavs dud: Isaac Okoro
I would like to say someone else on the team, but considering the Cavs only had nine total players that played in the game yesterday, Isaac Okoro is a fairly obvious choice. The shooting guard/wing played 26 minutes on Sunday afternoon and finished with only six points on 2-of-9 shooting, including an abysmal 2-of-7 from three point range. It’s fair to say at this point in his career that right now Okoro is only a placeholder until Collin Sexton returns from injury next year, if Sexton is brought back.
I won’t make this all negative, as Okoro’s had a couple of moments over the last two weeks that make you start to think he’s growing. Such as his pull-up jumper against the Miami Heat earlier this past week. With that being said, I don’t know what to do with him at this point.
Yes, with Sexton out, and unless they trade him, which seems highly unlikely, Okoro will continue to get 25-30 minutes of playing time. However, let’s just check out his stats this season, after the Collin Sexton injury, which occurred against the New York Knicks on Nov. 7.
He’s averaging exactly eight points per game, which ranks below average compared to other starting NBA shooting guards. Since the injury, he’s taken a total of 82 shots from the field, and he’s only hit 35 of those shots. The worst part about Okoro’s performance thus far, is that he hasn’t necessarily been the lockdown defender he was touted to be.
All in all, we say we don’t believe in moral victories, but if there ever was one, yesterday was. But, the Cavs seem to be in the best position moving forward compared to the Browns and Cleveland Guardians. It should be exciting to see if Okoro can improve his shooting and overall play enough to be at least average among NBA shooting guards and/or wings.