I get that some Cleveland Cavaliers fans maybe thought Lauri Markkanen fell short of their expectations in his first season with them.
After his arrival via sign-and-trade last offseason from the Chicago Bulls, the club he spent his first four seasons with, Markkanen had some inconsistencies, which had to be expected. That was fairly on-script with how Markkanen’s Bulls career went.
With the Cavaliers during this now-past season, Markkanen ended out with 14.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest, and shot 35.8 percent from three-point range on 6.2 attempts per outing. His overall numbers were some below his averages with the Bulls, when he averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and shot 36.6 percent from three.
But, as Cavs fans would also attest to, and I’d think the same ones we alluded to earlier that may have been somewhat disappointed, Markkanen was playing as a de facto 3 for a good chunk of the time. When the team was mostly healthy, he was playing in that role with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen also on the floor a solid amount, at least offensively.
It was an adjustment for Markkanen, compared to his Bulls tenure, and there was going to inherently be some time needed for him to gel with those other guys, and with other new teammates.
There was some streaky play for Markkanen, with ups and downs in his play for the first two or so months of the season, and then he seemed to hit his stride more in early January. He did suffer a high ankle sprain in late January, though, and would miss the last 11 games prior to the All-Star break.
Markkanen did close out the season pretty strong, fortunately, and post-All-Star, had 16.7 points per game and connected on 38.1 percent of his three-point attempts.
Now, some of that had to do with more opportunities and him filling in more at the 4 with Jarrett Allen out for much of then (finger fracture). But I thought Markkanen appeared to be more in-rhythm as he gained more experience in general before his injury, and next year, I believe he can carry that forward.
And to that point, I would think it’s reasonable Markkanen could lead Cleveland in threes made next season, based on him being more comfortable with Cleveland and him having better chemistry with his teammates. That’d be a realistic goal, in my estimation.
Markkanen should be ready, and could surely lead the Cavs in triples made next season, which is an attainable goal it seems.
Next year, I recognize that other guys will be in the fold. Darius Garland is Cleveland’s best offensive player, and he’ll be firmly in the mix, along with Kevin Love as a bench supersub, if he sticks around. It doesn’t necessarily seem too far-fetched for Love to potentially lead Cleveland in threes made again next season, for what it’s worth, but that wouldn’t be ideal, honestly.
From there, if he’s extended, which still does seem to be a likely scenario, Collin Sexton I’d imagine with can his share of triples, provided he can regain his rhythm following his meniscus injury. We’ll have to see, but he’s undoubtedly one of Cleveland’s most talented offensive players, also, and despite a rough start adjusting to more of an off-ball role early in 2021-22, his three-point shooting has been there most of his career.
In terms of notable guys in this area, I’d imagine that a potential backup lead guard signing and/or who Cleveland drafts at #14 could eventually be notable offensive options for stretches. I just question the three-point volume at the moment. And we’ll see as far as potential trade targets, such as rumored players such as Jerami Grant, Gordon Hayward and Harrison Barnes, among others.
Circling back to Markkanen, I do personally believe we’ll see him in a far better rhythm early on next season, given his strong finish to the year, which included him as the top performer in Cleveland’s second loss in the play-in tourney to the Atlanta Hawks. Markkanen again was up-and-down in his first year with the Cavaliers, albeit with a role adjustment we alluded to.
Despite that, he found his footing more as the season progressed, had improved chemistry with the team before his ankle sprain in January and still did have his share of quality stretches before that point that were encouraging.
Overall, he was third on the Cavaliers in threes made, and while there was some rough stretches, admittedly, he did miss 21 games with the ankle sprain and a COVID-19 health and safety protocols early in the season. Granted, Markkanen has had injury issues in his career, and I’ll attest to that.
Regardless, next season, I’d think Markkanen leading Cleveland in threes made would be a realistic goal for him, and him doing so would further prove his spacing and meaningful catch-and-shoot impact.
Now, we’ll see if the Cavaliers regularly start Markkanen again, or if he potentially moves into a bench shooting role if Love is traded at some point, or if Cleveland eventually swings a trade for a wing/small forward. However, with the success the Cavs had with it, perhaps we’ll still see the tall-ball lineup get considerable time, and maybe more time together, of which injuries limited that last season.
Moreover, with him seemingly set to be in a better rhythm for most of the year, I’d imagine Markkanen could pace the team in triples made. And to me, that could very well indicate the ball is hopping around the horn, as it was when Cleveland was at their best in 2021-22.