Cavs Mailbag: Where Does Isaac Okoro Fit?
Welcome to Cavs Mailbag! In this daily mailbag, Spencer Davies will respond to fans’ curiosities surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout the duration of the 2023-24 season. In order to submit yours, simply send your questions on X to @SpinDavies or via email at spindavies22@gmail.com.
The Cavs tried to rally, but fell short to the Orlando Magic on their home court last night by a final of 104-94. It was a choppy, scrappy affair in Central Florida, and the wine-and-gold will have to take on a well-rested Boston Celtics team tonight in the second half of a back-to-back.
Tuesday will be the first of two matchups at the TD Garden in three days, so Cleveland will have its hands full against one of the best of the NBA to finish the back end of its four-game road trip.
Let's get to your questions:
It doesn't feel like Isaac Okoro is a required player moving forward. Is it worth seeing what value he has has on the trade market? The bench feels like it needs another piece, especially on nights like this. - @AjHolm5
The Cavs will always look for ways to get better across the board, so I don't want to say no to that question. It's also well-known that Isaac Okoro is going to be restricted free agent at the end of the season, making that thought more realistic.
But we were just talking about how important Okoro is to the bench not even four days ago. He excelled in the Miami Heat win, finishing at the rim and thriving in the open floor. Before that, during this winning streak, he was largely an unsung hero in guarding the ball, making multiple defensive efforts and defeating screens on that end.
Certainly, since he's returned from that knee injury, Okoro hasn't had quite the same impact offensively as he did in the first week-and-a-half of the season. For context, it makes sense when you consider the injuries that the team was dealing with, a fluctuating role and different lineup positions and responsibilities.
The hope is that Cleveland doesn't go back to sticking him in the corner and actually gets him slashing again. He is an underutilized weapon when he's catching off of cuts or attacking closeouts. Okoro's passing ability is quite effective, and his burst is explosive as well. He's the first guy you want to look at going up the floor off a defensive rebound or after a steal too.
Admittedly though, there are a lot of guys on the team who are smaller at their positions that should be getting playing time in addition to him. It's not an easy predicament to navigate. I'm sure Okoro would like to be featured more in the second unit as well, although he is proud to play the role of clean-up guy and stopper.
I think Okoro is a solid player that has the ability to do more if the team decides to get him more involved in the half-court.
Dec 8, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (11) dribbles the ball around Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) during the second half at Kaseya Center.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Uh, 9-42 from three-point range? Could they be better blindfolded? - @feartheelf23
This gave me a chuckle. Fans don't want to hear that it was a cold night, but it was literally a cold night. You can't even pick or single anybody out. Literally everybody had open shots and did not convert.
According to NBA.com, the Cavs went 5-for-19 on wide-open threes and 3-for-20 against late-contested triples. (Hat tip to Justin Rowan of The Chase Down Podcast.) Most of these were generated too. It wasn't a chuck-fest, aside from maybe that possession where Darius Garland tried three in one setting and drew front rim on each attempt.
Max Strus has been off for the first couple games of the road trip, so the law of averages indicates he'll knock down a few soon here. Georges Niang had been on fire before the loss in Orlando, so again, that's an anomaly. Scream at the TV if you want, but don't think this is a normal occurrence. These are the best of the best at shooting the basketball. You want them to keep taking those, especially if they're open.
You might think to yourself if they're not going down, why keep taking them. Well, that's only partly true. The Magic have a lot of length and strength. Jalen Suggs was in Donovan Mitchell's shirt all evening, so driving lanes were cut short.
When Garland got into the paint, he made the right basketball plays and kicked out. You're not going to have a ton of success in the trees unless you draw fouls and shoot over the top. It didn't help that Garland's pick-and-roll partner Jarrett Allen was in foul trouble the entirety of the game either.
Having Caris LeVert in particular on a night like this would've been ideal. He's your rescue-possession Option A. Obviously, Evan Mobley too. But this is life in the NBA. You've got to grind it out. They competed last night, no doubt. It's just a make-or-miss league!
Why not give CPJ minutes when Niang and Strus are struggling? And why not give Sam Merrill more minutes after the first half? - @DillonBlair13
I have no idea why Craig Porter Jr. isn't getting minutes. Even after DNPs and little playing time, he showed you how he can change a game on Friday in Miami. He's helped you in crunch time already as a rookie. Clearly, he can help take a sizable responsibility off both Garland and Mitchell's shoulders at certain points of the game.
Sam Merrill is a hell of a knockdown shooter and has been for a while, especially last season with the Cleveland Charge in the G League. His drawback is his size and how the Cavs have many like-sized players, as J.B. Bickerstaff indicated the other day. I don't disagree with the wine-and-gold for sticking with Strus and Niang because they have a reputation and track record of making shots. That's not a big deal.
I did like the small-ball lineup the Cavs went to in the second quarter though. But yeah, I'm with you on Porter. Since the team is on the second night of a back-to-back and Garland played 39 minutes last night, it wouldn't surprise me to see the rookie play some tonight in Boston.
