The Cleveland Cavaliers are rightfully praised for drafting Darius Garland and Evan Mobley to build the foundation of their current championship contender. What is often overlooked is how much better of a present they could have if they had not whiffed in drafting Isaac Okoro No. 5 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The Cavaliers just moved on from Auburn product Isaac Okoro this offseason, trading him straight up for veteran guard Lonzo Ball. In one sense it was a move that the Cavaliers were praised for as Ball figures to be an excellent fit with this team. It also highlights just how far Okoro's star has fallen.
He came into the league looking like an on-ball maestro with legitimate two-way upside. While Okoro realized his defensive potential, becoming one of the league's better on-ball defenders, he never became the ball-handler and playmaker he showed flashes of in college. His role on offense was reduced to wide-open 3-point shooting and cuts.
Okoro is a fine player, but certainly a disappointment at pick No. 5. He may have started a lot of games early in his career out of position at small forward because of the ill-fitting nature and lack of talent of the Cleveland roster, but he is not a starting-level guard. He can play a role as a defensive pest, but he isn't long or strong enough to defend larger wings and forwards, limiting his value to a team. That the Chicago Bulls valued him enough to trade for him isn't a ringing endorsement given their modern track record.
What stings all the more is that the Cavaliers could have drafted a much more impactful player and changed their entire outlook.
The Cavaliers passed on some future stars
The easiest mistake to point to for the Cavaliers is not drafting Tyrese Haliburton. The future All-NBA guard and offensive dynamo just led the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals, steamrolling the Cavaliers in the process, and came within one half of winning a championship.
Obviously drafting Haliburton over Okoro was a mistake, one another half dozen teams made before Haliburton was ultimately drafted with pick No. 12. Given that the Cavs' last two lottery picks were used on point guards, it is perhaps more forgivable that they didn't draft a third one -- except that they did draft Okoro, who is the same height as Haliburton and projected as an on-ball player. There is no real defense, the Cavs just whiffed.
Even if you pivot to Cleveland's positions of need, however, there were still plenty of options. Deni Avdija was in play with the fifth pick and has become a versatile two-way forward now on the Portland Trail Blazers; the Israeli forward is a strong defender, improved passer and crafty finisher. Devin Vassell could have filled the role the Cavaliers asked of Okoro much better, a slightly worse defender but with a much stronger offensive game.
Later in the draft players like Tyrese Maxey, Desmond Bane, Immanuel Quickley and even Payton Pritchard were selected and have had much better careers. The thought of Garland and Bane together in the backcourt for a team that kept Lauri Markkanen and never made the Donovan Mitchell trade is a fascinating one. Or a team that did make that trade but have Mobley and Avdija paired in the frontcourt.
The Cavaliers swung and missed in 2020, and instead of a difference-maker, they drafted a hard-working but ultimately incapable starter who is now a bench defensive specialist. They have built a contender anyway, but at the cost of nearly every asset they had. Perhaps things could have gone differently if they hadn't flubbed their pick five years ago.