During the first week of training camp, Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff joked that the media probably had more conversations about the battle at small forward than he actually did.
That may very well be true. But the talk continues, as the Cavs have less than a week before the regular season begins, and it seems like the competition for the starting three is still alive.
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Throughout camp and preseason, Bickerstaff praised the high level of competition six players — Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and Dylan Windler — all brought. They have pushed one another to be better while looking for the best way to impact the Cavs positively.
LeVert earned the first two starts at small forward against Philadelphia and looked strong alongside Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. But Bickerstaff hasn’t settled on LeVert for the starting job just yet.
“I want to make sure I say this publicly; he has done everything right to earn the spot,” Bickerstaff said during his pregame press conference Wednesday. “Whatever decision we make at the beginning of the year, I always hold the card to pull it back if we need to make an adjustment. But he has done everything to earn that spot.”
Bickerstaff likes how much of a threat LeVert is next to his All-Star backcourt. Opposing defenses have to respect LeVert because he can score. Yet, LeVert has also shown his passing skills. They are still working through finding his moments to attack. Defensively, LeVert has demonstrated how he can use his length and move his feet to defend well.
LeVert sat out of Wednesday’s preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks. Bickerstaff said they wanted to give LeVert a day off because he’s “done every rep of the entire training camp” and that he earned the rest.
With LeVert out, Okoro earned the start in the Cavs’ third preseason game. Bickerstaff looked at how Okoro fit next to Garland and Mitchell and liked how Okoro found his spots on the offensive end and made the Hawks’ defense pay when they overhelped, either in open catch-and-shoots or in cuts to the basket. Okoro, Garland and Mitchell also could switch on the defensive end; if Garland ended up guarding a bigger player, they communicated more to help one another out.
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Okoro finished Wednesday’s game with 16 points, three steals, three assists, two rebounds and three turnovers. He shot 7 of 9 from the field and 2 of 4 from the 3. Bickerstaff took note of Okoro’s activity on both ends of the floor. He has stood out to Bickerstaff in camp and the preseason, not only in how he is defending but also in how he is running the floor, cutting and his level of toughness.
Known for his defensive grit and how he can guard some of the top guards and wings in the league, Okoro uses his toughness to disrupt or contest shots. After he worked in the offseason to grow his offensive game and develop his shot, the Cavs are allowing him to play with more freedom and be attack-minded. They want him to run the floor, find early opportunities and convert his defense into offense.
“The work that he’s put in work on his shot, but, the layups that he was able to create, the plays that he was able to make early in transition, the passes that he was able to make for his teammates,” Bickerstaff said when asked about what stood out about Okoro. “I thought he really did a really good job of playing the entire game on both ends of the floor.”
Mitchell saw the confidence in Okoro’s shot on Wednesday. When Mitchell has come in early for practice, he’s seen Okoro already in the gym working on his 3s. His continued work has helped build their trust in him to take those shots.
When Okoro played next to Mitchell and Garland in the starting unit, he felt like they started the game on a better defensive note, stopped the Hawks and moved the ball on the offensive end. He also played with a level of aggressiveness to his game and shot the ball when he was open.
Okoro has noticed how he sometimes makes things difficult on himself when he’s on the court, where teams try to bluff him and make him overthink his shot. But he spent this summer also focusing on his mindset. When he’s in the gym shooting, either by himself or with someone, he only thinks about shooting. He lets everything else go. He’s trying to hold onto the confidence found in his shot just to shoot the ball.
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Okoro said he has felt good about the shots he’s taking after the work he put in over the summer. Wednesday night, he said he didn’t think twice.
“I’m always being myself,” Okoro said. “I always take it day by day. Just be myself and go out there and play my game. I know what the coaches want me to do. I’m gonna do that, and it’s ultimately up to J.B. to see who starts. I’m fine either way. I’m gonna go in and play my role.”
Both Windler and Wade are dealing with injuries and did not play on Wednesday. Bickerstaff said earlier this week that Windler will most likely not play the remainder of the preseason as he recovers from an ankle injury. The Cavs have one final game Friday against the Orlando Magic before they wrap up the preseason.
“Obviously, the reps are missed, so it would make it a difficult option because he hasn’t had a chance to play,” Bickerstaff said of Windler this week. “I think it’s something that he would have to work his way in because of the missed opportunities, and we haven’t had an opportunity to see it.”
Osman showcased his game Wednesday with 16 points off the bench, shooting 6 of 12 from the field and 4 of 9 from the 3. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists.
Stevens earned a start at power forward on Wednesday but played just 15 minutes and did not score. He missed all four of his shots but was active all around, grabbing six rebounds and dishing two assists.
There are still decisions both in the starting job and who comes off the bench. Because of their injuries, they haven’t been able to see all the potential rotations and different lineups in the preseason.
“We want to figure (it) out, and change is always a possibility,” Bickerstaff said. “But we have to make sure that all the pairings are right, and we have to make sure that all our rotations work. If Caris is your starting three, what does your bench look like? When do the subs come? We’re trying to make it so that we can keep three of our top six on the floor at all times because we feel like that gives an advantage in second units, so we kind of just have to work through all those things about how we will get that done.”
(Top Photo: Bill Streicher / USA Today Sports)