Cleveland Cavaliers: This season will answer all questions

Preseason takeaways

Let’s begin with a few takeaways from what we saw in the preseason, starting with Darius Garland.

Perhaps the biggest question mark heading into the season is what type of player will we see out of Garland? The top-five pick had one of the worst rookie seasons of anyone in his class. He will need a strong showing in his sophomore stint to keep him in the starting lineup and away from the trading block.

1. Garland’s Improvements

Straight away, Garland appeared to be more confident in his game. He was much more ball-dominant, taking charge in orchestrating the offense and playing with an increased sense of urgency to find his own shot.

Garland attempted 12.0 field goals in 22.7 minutes per game in the preseason. Compare this to his average of just 11.8 attempts in over 30 minutes of playing as a rookie – and we can see how he has placed emphasis on upping his usage. Of course, this could all be a result of playing without Collin Sexton for the first three games.

The 21-year-old certainly played with more pep, seemingly healed from the knee injury that bugged him as a rookie. His ability to shift directions on the fly was impressive – and he showcased an elite ability to change speeds in the lane.

Garland didn’t shoot much better from the field in the preseason but he did score at a higher rate. The biggest area of improvement came on the defensive end, where his wider frame helped him be a bit more effective on the perimeter. Though, he is still far from being great on this side of the floor.

2. Garland’s limitations 

Forever holding Garland back is his size. He was one of the worst slashers last season and that won’t change this year. Garland was repeatedly packed in the paint by bigger opponents and is concerningly bad at finishing around the rim with his off-hand.

While he has a consistent floater in his bag of tricks – he will never be a high-level scorer until he can at least get himself to the free-throw line, which he hardly did as a rookie. This rang true through the preseason as well, with Garland only getting to the line nine times in four games.

Garland will look like a new player to those who only saw him as a passive rookie, restricted by his nagging knee injury. However, don’t expect to see any significant changes to his game – aside from a more aggressive approach to scoring and slightly improved playmaking.

The only other aspect of his game that could look different is his role as a playmaker. He displayed some newfound instincts for finding open teammates on drives to the hoop in the preseason. This is something we hope to see more of throughout the year.

3. Isaac Okoro’s impact 

Heading into the 2020 NBA Draft, Isaac Okoro appeared to be the player that could become the ‘glue guy’ for Cleveland. The lanky perimeter threat has all of the tools needed to patch up the Cavaliers’ weaknesses.

From his physical build alone, Okoro is set to revolutionize the Cavaliers’ style of play. He is a powerful athlete with a never-ending motor on defense. Already, Okoro looks like the best perimeter defender the Cavs have to offer.

Okoro will not only stop Cleveland from being the worst ranked defensive team for three years in a row, but he can help them rack up some easy points through his impact on defense.

The Cavs ranked 29th in transition scoring last year. We can expect this to change as Okoro uses his defense to create more fast break opportunities. He is a brute force in open space and can finish through contact with ease. Prepare for a ton of Kevin Love outlet passes to Okoro this year.

Most importantly, Okoro showed no signs of struggle from the 3-point line. The rookie drilled 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) 3-point attempts throughout the preseason. This will be key in expanding his game as he works to establish himself as a two-way threat for Cleveland.