The Cleveland Cavaliers have some decisions to make at small forward. They have an All-Star backcourt and two of the best defenders in the league in the frontcourt, ensuring four of the five spots in the starting lineup are locked in. The final spot is more of an open question.
The Cavs could start extra big, as they did two seasons ago with Lauri Markkanen at small forward. Dean Wade or Georges Niang could slide up to the 3 from their more natural power forward position.
The more likely options, however, come from the wing. The Cavaliers have a trio of 2/3-sized players on the roster who all have a case to be in the mix at small forward. Let’s use a method you’ve likely seen before to dig into the options ahead of the organization.
Start, bench, cut – Cavaliers wings
The Cleveland Cavaliers would ideally start a player at small forward who has size, lateral agility and quickness and is a knockdown 3-point shooter. Those players happen to be some of the hardest players in the league to acquire, and it doesn’t appear that any were available for the Cavs to add this summer.
They instead added Max Strus, and he looks like the best option among the trio of wings in the running. While his shooting percentages are streaky, he is a legitimate movement shooter, stretching defenses with his ability to sprint off of screens and hit catch-and-shoot 3-pointers from anywhere. His willingness to shoot gives him gravity just as potent as if he were a 44 percent 3-point shooter.
The defense is more of a question mark, but Strus isn’t a sieve on that end and proved himself during a couple of recent playoff runs. If he can hold up on that end he’s likely in store to get a long crack at the starting spot, and given the other options he is the best option to do so.
Caris LeVert should have never been on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The front office, desperate to grasp onto the first success this franchise had seen since LeBron James left (again), made a win-now move in February of 2022 to add a player in LeVert who could help them down the stretch but wasn’t a good fit with the pieces the Cavaliers had in place.
That reality only increased when they added Donovan Mitchell the following summer, despite LeVert dedicating himself to playing defense and finding his spot on the team. His coaches and teammates seem to love him, and his poor fit with the starters is at war with his mentality to do whatever it takes.
LeVert is best deployed as a secondary ball-handler off of the bench in lineups where he doesn’t need to be the primary engine nor the primary wing defender, but can slot in as the secondary option for both. That’s a narrow needle to thread. His lack of off-ball shooting and shutdown defense make it difficult to play with a small backcourt that deserves to dominate the ball, and a big frontcourt that doesn’t space the court.
LeVert still has value around the league as a future trade chip, and his two-year contract should be useful in matching salary. He also can do enough on offense and defense not to be played off the court in the playoffs; he can play a small role off the bench if he is still around next April.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have made a major investment in Isaac Okoro. He was drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and was immediately entrenched as the starting small forward. He has logged 174 starts over the last three seasons, more than any player outside of the core four. He has been the starting small forward for this team.
The issue with Okoro has not been his defense. He is one of the league’s best backcourt defenders, capable of hounding point guards across the entire court, fighting over screens and picking plenty of pockets. He has a defined role on defense, one that is especially useful to the Cavs as neither of their starting guards are plus defenders.
The issue is on offense, and it’s enough of an issue to doom Okoro in the NBA if he can’t find a way to take a major step forward. Okoro isn’t an on-ball player, creating advantages with his dribble or scoring on self-generated shots. He needs to be an off-ball scorer, but his jumpshot is such that he is not defended at all. He’s the modern-day Tony Allen, and the New York Knicks completely ignored him in their playoff series last spring and smothered the rest of the Cleveland offense.
If Okoro can become an average shooter, he becomes a rotation option; if he cannot, he will stick around at the end of rosters for a few years based on his defensive talent. If the Cavaliers are building a rotation to excel in the playoffs, the ship may have sailed on Okoro playing a major role.
He’s another excellent chemistry guy, and his defense is legitimately helpful to the Cavs; they are hoping his shot does come around. For now he’s the clear option to cut from among these three, with Max Strus leading the way to start for the Cavaliers this season.