It’s hard to really predict how a team will finish this season, based on just the preseason. However, for the Cavaliers’ sake let’s hope their 1-3 preseason record isn’t a sign of how things will go in the regular season. The Cavs traveled to Orlando last night to take on the Magic in what was Cleveland’s preseason finale.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Magic had pulled out a 114-108 victory. With that being said, Cleveland chose to rest the majority of their starters to let them recuperate before they take on the Raptors this Wednesday in the season opener.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic on Friday night. Who are one stud and one dud for the Cavs in their preseason finale?
With Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and a couple of other key players planted on the bench, there wasn’t much to take away from this game. Evan Mobley finally got back on the court after being out with a minor ankle injury, and Isaac Okoro continued to state his case as the starting small forward.
The Cavaliers still looked a bit rusty in some areas, coughing up 16 turnovers, and being easily out-rebounded. However, the Cavaliers also did a lot of good things last night. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the stud and dud from last night’s loss to the Magic.
One Stud from Cavs’ preseason finale: Isaac Okoro
It was reported earlier this week that Caris LeVert was the favorite to land the starting small forward role, but Isaac Okoro got the start on Wednesday and again tonight alongside LeVert. While I personally think LeVert would mesh well with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro just refuses to go down without a fight.
The man from Auburn was at it again last night, putting up 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. On top of that, Okoro didn’t turn the ball over once, and he hit the only three-pointer he took. On the defensive end, he was a menace around the rim and on the perimeter, finishing with a block and a steal.
Over the course of the preseason, Okoro made it clear on day one that he wasn’t giving up his starting spot without a fight. Okoro has averaged over ten points a game in this preseason tour while shooting a scorching 67% from the field.
On top of that, and yes it is a small sample size but, Okoro has shot 43% from deep over the last four games. I still think head coach JB Bickerstaff will go with LeVert in the starting lineup, but if Okoro can continue to play this well and carry this momentum into the season, I can’t see him losing too many minutes this season.
One Dud from Cavs’ preseason finale: Rebounding
Before I get into the dud for the nigh, it has to be noted that the Cavs struggled at times rebounding. When Jarrett Allen went down at the end of last season, the Cavs were out-rebounded in the majority of their games. However, even without Allen, the Cavs should not be out-rebounded by 16.
If you take a look at Evan Mobley’s all-around game, his skill-set is incredible., With that being said, if you had to criticize one thing about him, it’s his rebounding. Last season while he was a rookie he had trouble being physical with opponents when fighting for a rebound. He looks to have buffed up a bit this season, and we should see improvement in that area.
Without Kevin Love, Jarrett Allen, and a couple of other role players, it wasn’t easy to crash the glass last night. However, with an Eastern Conference that is stacked with talent, the Cavs can’t afford to have many weaknesses. Right now rebounding is a weakness, and that needs to be addressed before we get into the thick of the season.
Overall it was a rather disappointing preseason tour for the Cavaliers. We did get our first glimpses of how well Donovan Mitchell meshed with this current group, we also saw a much stronger Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers finish the preseason with a 1-3 record, with their only win against the Hawks a couple of days ago.
I try not to read too much into the results of the preseason. Instead, I like to look at the positives from what was essentially a couple of scrimmages. This season the Cavs won’t sneak up on teams like they did last year. Every night they are going to get the opposing team’s best effort. Hopefully, this young core is ready for that challenge.