It seems like just yesterday when Nikola Jokic was rushing to get home to his horses after winning his first NBA championship. “Unfortunately” for him, in just under four weeks, NBA teams across the league will report for training camp. After a long offseason that included trade requests, big contracts, and more Ben Simmons workout videos, the NBA season is inching closer. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, this season is all about taking the next step, and this offseason was all about addressing that.
After a first-round exit against the New York Knicks that saw them succumb to the bright lights, the Cavs knew they had to make improvements to the roster if they wanted to compete. They accomplished this by signing snipers Max Strus, and Georges Niang, who combined to make 351 three pointers last season. The Cavs also brought back Caris LeVert, and signed Ty Jerome and Damian Jones for more depth. They did all of this while retaining their core four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.
Even after a successful offseason, there are still questions about the Cavs as the season gets closer. Here are my three burning questions I have for them.
I am not sure what to think of Isaac Okoro. On one hand, I see a player with a tireless work ethic, a great defensive motor, and an amazing teammate. On the other, I see a player that is still scared to shoot the ball, and puts the Cavs at a huge disadvantage on the offensive end of the floor. It is four-on-five when the Cavs have the ball with Okoro on the court. Defenses simply do not respect him enough to defend him, and he is not aggressive enough to gain that respect. It is very unfortunate too, as Okoro is the best perimeter defender on the roster, and the Cavs do not really have a perimeter stopper of his caliber.
In the playoff series against the Knicks, Okoro held star guard Jalen Brunson to eight-of-22 shooting when he was the primary defender. He was their best option for him, but on offense he would almost negate that completely due to his offensive incompetence. With the Cavs bringing in Strus and Niang for more shooting on the wing, and LeVert being brought back, there is a real chance the Cavs say goodbye to Okoro at the trade deadline.
It would be a shame to admit another top draft pick for this franchise was a failure, but if Okoro does not improve, then tough conversations will be had.
I want to preface what I am going to say with this: the Cavs are not at this point without J.B. Bickerstaff. He has been a great leader of men, and has really maximized the potential of this roster. When the Cavaliers were not expected to even sniff the Play-In tournament in 2022, Bickerstaff got this team to believe. He got them to buy in on defense, and that’s been this Cleveland teams’ identity. However, Bickerstaff does have his flaws, and they were exposed in this past postseason.
In the Knicks series, Bickerstaff made a bevy of questionable decisions, which included playing Ricky Rubio despite the fact he was a cone on defense, not playing Lamar Stevens when the team needed a jolt, and not adjusting the pick-and-roll heavy offense. The Knicks were constantly blitzing Garland and Mitchell and Bickerstaff failed at putting them in better spots offensively. He was thoroughly outcoached by Tom Thibodeau.
This is a critical year for Bickerstaff because if the Cavs flame out, not only does that mean Mitchell is potentially gone, but it could also mean Bickerstaff is out of a job. President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman can endorse Bickerstaff all he wants, but if he doesn’t produce positive results, then he might not be the answer for the Cavaliers anymore.
This is probably the biggest question on my mind. The Cavs finished as the four seed in the East last season and are projected to finish in that range again this season. However, they have the potential to finish even higher.
The Milwaukee Bucks, the top team from last season, did nothing to improve an aging roster and have to deal with star Giannis Antetokounmpo putting pressure on the front office to build a championship team or he is possibly leaving. They also flamed out in the first round to the eight seed Miami Heat in five games, and a loss like that can really damage a team’s psyche.
The Boston Celtics were one game from completing the most historic comeback in NBA history last postseason against the Heat, but traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies, and brought in oft-injured big man Kristaps Porzingis. They also have to deal with Malcolm Brogdon’s injury history, and while they still have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, this team is not as deep as it was last season.
As for the Heat, they lost a lot of depth in Gabe Vincent, and Max Strus, who signed big contracts with other teams in free agency. They are also in a stalemate with the Portland Trail Blazers for star guard Damian Lillard, as the Blazers are rumored to not like the Heat’s offer, and are willing to drag this trade saga for as long as possible.
As for the Philadelphia 76ers, they have their own disgruntled star to deal with in James Harden, putting a dark cloud over this team once again. With no avenue to replace him, the Sixers got worse, and they face an uphill battle to a top seed in the East.
With so many questions at the top, the Cavs can take advantage and really push for a top three, and dare I say higher seed in the East. They have the talent on the roster, and the continuity. The question is will they take advantage of their chance?
The Cavaliers had a highly successful offseason, but questions still remain about the team. My questions will be answered one way or another, and with the season starting in about a month, we’ll see how they will be answered.