Despite shooting woes, Cavs need to stick with Lauri Markkanen starting

I’m not going to say that Lauri Markkanen has been lighting it up as a catch-and-shoot player this season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who acquired him via sign-and-trade from the Chicago Bulls this past offseason.

Markkanen has averaged 13.4 points per contest, and has hit only 30.6 percent from three-point range. Those are both career-lows to this point, and nearing the halfway point of the 2021-22 season, his true shooting rate of 52.5 percent is on track for a career-worst as well.

Markkanen has unfortunately connected on just 11-of-54 percent of his three-point attempts in the last 11 games for Cleveland, a 20.4 percent clip, also. He’s been cold as a catch-and-shoot player in the past few weeks, which has been tough to watch, and the former Bull needs to be more consistent as the season wears on here.

Objectively, though, Markkanen did have a few very productive outings early on, and then, after Kevin Love did, was placed into COVID-19 health and safety protocols, leading to an extended absence in November. That didn’t help, for one.

Plus, Markkanen has had to adjust this season with him often playing with other bigs in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and at least some in recent games, both Ricky Rubio and Darius Garland being out didn’t aid him from a primary playmaking perspective. Garland is back now from health and safety protocols, on a positive note, and even with Rubio out for the rest of the season because of a torn ACL, veteran trade acquisition Rajon Rondo can help Markkanen as a shooting, cutting and occasional post-up presence.

Now, I do acknowledge that Markkanen, who is on the books for $15.7 million this season, needs to be more consistent. Even still, it’s apparent that the Cavs should stick with him as a starter, despite the play of Kevin Love and Cedi Osman off the bench this season.

Despite his perimeter shooting inconsistencies, the Cavs still need to have Markkanen starting.

As we alluded to, Markkanen has been very underwhelming from three-point range, given his natural shooting abilities, including off movement, and with how despite a role change post-trade deadline especially last season with Chicago moving to the bench, he did shoot 40.2 percent from three. That was a career-best.

Point being, the dude needs to have more consistency as a perimeter shooter for the Wine and Gold, regardless of the role adjustment and with him often playing with Mobley and Allen. It’s not as if Markkanen hasn’t had a number of clankers even on wide-open deep attempts in recent weeks.

All of that said, despite his shooting woes in recent weeks, and at other points in the season, it’s still clear to me that Markkanen needs to remain in the starting unit.