Constructing ‘Dream’ Cavaliers team if they nailed every NBA Draft

No. 5 pick in 2020 Draft: Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State (12)

Original Pick: Isaac Okoro

In almost every aspect of being a part of a team, Isaac Okoro has been an excellent fit on the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is, from all accounts, an excellent teammate, he plays hard on every possession, and he is willing to lock in on defense without needing a large offensive role.

The problem is that he also doesn’t deserve a large offensive role, and despite three years of getting large rotation minutes, he hasn’t developed on that end. His 3-point shot is fine if he is wide open, but put any pressure on him and he couldn’t hit the ocean from the beach. A one-way defensive guard is worthy of rotation minutes, but he sure isn’t worthy of the No. 5 pick.

A player who is worthy of the No. 5 pick (honestly, the No. 2 pick in this draft) is Tyrese Haliburton. Despite excellent college production and shooting numbers, his unorthodox shooting motion and concerns about his upside saw him slide on draft night. That “slide” should have been five or six spots, not 12, and there are a lot of teams kicking themselves for not taking Haliburton sooner.

In our Dream Redraft, he goes fifth to the Cavaliers, who now get to pair Darius Garland and Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt. Both players can shoot, handle and pass, and Haliburton has enough length to capably play the 2. How teams would go about stopping that duo is a mystery.