Lauri Markkanen will stake claim as Cavs’ top sniper, sans learning curve

Lauri Markkanen took some time to hit his stride in a new situation with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. Following his sign-and-trade acquisition from the Chicago Bulls, one had to anticipate he’d start somewhat slow, and that’s what transpired.

There was going to be an adjustment period for Markkanen, with a new set of teammates, and he was in a newer role within the NBA, as he was playing as a de facto 3, with other natural bigs in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen starting with him at the 4/5. Now, because of injuries to the three players at various points, and unfortunately more so down the closing stretch for Allen, the Cavaliers’ three-big starting lineup didn’t have nearly the amount of time together one would’ve wanted.

But when that group was together, I thought it was more cohesive than one could’ve thought, and defensively, the Cavaliers benefited from those guys.

Mobley’s truly otherworldly defensive abilities of course were instrumental for Cleveland last season, and Allen was among the NBA’s best rim protectors. Markkanen, to his credit, held up better defensively than I would’ve expected, also, and next season, hopefully the defensive rebounding positioning from the group improves.

Now, in regards to Markkanen, as we were hinting at earlier, on the offensive end, there were some ups and downs. I did think prior to him missing 11 games with an ankle sprain pre-All-Star break, though, that we was really in a nice rhythm, and he had other hot stretches earlier in the season following a COVID-19 health and safety protocols absence.

On the year, Markkanen’s overall numbers of 14.8 points per outing and 35.8 percent from three were down some in comparison to his Chicago days in his first four seasons, but he was amid a role change and he did improve as the year progressed.

And when looking at this 2022-23 season upcoming, we should see Markkanen firmly establish himself clearly as the Cavaliers’ standout sharpshooter, and undoubtedly their top catch-and-shoot player.

Markkanen will stake his claim as the Cavs’ top sniper in 2022-23, sans the learning curve from last season.

Markkanen demonstrated that he could be a difference-maker for the Cavaliers at various times last season, such as in their overtime comeback win on March 18 versus the Denver Nuggets. In that one, he had a season-high 31 points, and canned six triples on 12 attempts.

Markkanen had some of a production uptick post-All-Star break with 16.7 points per outing, partly due to Allen’s injury absence (fractured finger).

He did look to be finding his footing with the other starting bigs prior to his ankle injury absence, too, though. Markkanen having a big game with 26 points in Cleveland’s play-in loss to the Atlanta Hawks was encouraging for this coming season as well.

In his second season to come with the Cavaliers, without or with at least with far less of a learning curve for his role, he’ll stake his claim as Cleveland’s top sniper. He showed he could be at times last season; there were just ups and downs, and as we mentioned, there was a slower start than some may have anticipated.

In 2021-22, Kevin Love led the Cavs in threes made with 187, and I was more than satisfied with how he did in a transition to a key bench role. Love connected on 39.2 percent of his deep attempts, had 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per outing, and for his impact, finishing second in voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

I’m not suggesting he’ll definitely have a similar season in 2022-23, in fairness. He’s got to stay healthy, and teams will adjust to that bench role for him this season. Love should again make a difference, however, and his spacing help is meaningful as is for stretches.

Aside from Love, rookie Ochai Agbaji could be a knockdown catch-and-shoot player, if his deep shooting potential translates.

And last season, Cedi Osman did give Cleveland a lift in a number of instances with his bench shooting presence, but his outlook with the team seems uncertain at the moment, and time will tell if he is around through next season. Osman could feasibly be traded, with him essentially on an expiring deal, with his 2023-24 season non-guaranteed, to that point.

All things considered, I’d expect Markkanen to emerge as Cleveland’s clear top sniper/pure shooter in 2022-23. That’s the expectation, realistically.