Hoops Habit
Fansided

Cleveland Cavaliers: This season will answer all questions

By Tony Pesta

Dec 14, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers Isaac Okoro (35) jogs after a basket during the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers Isaac Okoro (35) jogs after a basket during the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Finding Direction

The biggest problem the Cavaliers need to address is finding a direction for their rebuild. The franchise has yet to find a sure-fire star who they can center their efforts around. Luckily, this should all but be decided by the end of the upcoming season.

As of now, Collin Sexton appears to be their guy moving forward. He has rattled off two impressive offensive seasons in a row – and is set to capitalize on being their go-to scorer for a third straight season. While some still believe Garland has more upside, it’s hard to argue with what Sexton has shown us so far.

Cavaliers: Time to trade Andre Drummond. light. Related Story

This means unless Garland stuns us all by being the elite shot creator he was in college, Sexton will establish himself as the Cavaliers’ best backcourt player this season. And, any discussion of trading or moving one of these players to the bench will revolve around Garland, not Sexton.

This debate has gone on for an entire year but should likely be resolved this season. The duo of Sexton and Garland is one of the league’s worst and it’s clear they need to be split up. Sexton is the favorite to emerge as the long-term winner, but Garland has a fighter’s chance of earning his role.

Finding a cornerstone

Still, Sexton doesn’t have the all-around skill-set needed to be the main guy in a rebuild. He is a fiery scorer but lacks the playmaking ability or defensive prowess that can make him a superstar.

Other young franchises such as the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics have certified talents to build around. Sexton simply isn’t on the same level as players like Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum.

The same goes for Garland. Even if he explodes as a pull-up shooter in his sophomore season, he likely won’t ever reach a high enough level to propel the Cavaliers into playoff contention. It’s possible Kevin Porter Jr. and Isaac Okoro can come close to being superstars in the future if they max their potential – but it’s much too early to determine their ceilings.

Home/Cleveland Cavaliers