The Cavs were able to pull out victory from the jaws of defeat with a couple of Max Strus-led runs in the second and third quarter as the Cavs avoid infamy and deliver the Pistons their 17th straight loss 110-101. Let’s dive into Saturday night’s takeaways…
1. Lost Dawgs Found?
The two Cavs who have basically been unplayable up to this point of the season are Isaac Okoro and Georges Niang. Okoro has been dealing with a lingering knee injury that has had him in and out of the lineups, and Niang is a newcomer struggling to find his shots within the offense and on defense he’s Kevin Love without drawing charges nor the elite rebounding. Hopefully Saturday night’s game is a sign of things to come as both of them played arguably their best games of the season posting a couple of +15 plus/minuses in their respective minutes off the bench.
For the season Okoro has been in the bottom quartile of the NBA in defensive rebound rate (10.3%), but put up a 16.7% defensive rebound rate against Detroit. That along with four steals and four assists, and all of a sudden Ice goes from an unplayable ninth man off the bench to a nice ninth man off the bench. Given his reputation as a defensive stalwart, the rebounding and defensive playmaking are non-negotiables. For his entire career, the rebounding has been non-existent, and the defensive playmaking, while improved, hasn’t always been there. At this point, yours truly couldn’t care less about the shooting. If he’s not going to rebound and be active on defense, there’s no reason for him to play. May this be the beginning of Isaac Rodman!
As for Niang, it appears that he’s replaced Lamar Stevens as the “junkyard dawg” role and this team sorely needs some of that. He’s willing to talk shit, willing to throw around his weight, and is supremely confident in his game. He was unplayable during the playoffs last season for the 76ers and might get bumped out of the rotation for the Cavs should they make the playoffs this season, but for better or worse this is who the Cavs are stuck with. Honestly if he just wants to bait opponents into fights, that could be invaluable on a team full of nice guys.
2. Darius Garland trending up?
While DG the PG didn’t have the greatest shooting night against Detroit, he did post a sterling +13 plus/minus in his 34 minutes of action and was able to steer the Cavs to victory late in the fourth quarter. His turnover rate is dropping, his scoring efficiency is increasing, and his elite passing is still there. He also posted four stocks in the game, including a magnificent steal to short circuit a fast break. DG’s net rating is now third on the team just behind Max Strus and Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs’ recent success is certainly tied to better play from their franchise point guard.
3. JB Bickerstaff uses 10 players!
Now was that so hard JB? Coach Bickerstaff was able to buy three to four minutes of rest by going to Craig Porter, Jr., Tristan Thompson, and Sam Merrill, all of whom posted plus/minuses of zero. Part of the job of a coach is to instill confidence in his players by trusting them to get the job done. Maybe this was a lesson learned?
4. Quick word about Detroit
17 losses in a row. A never-ending rebuild. Disastrous decision-making by the whole organization. Benching and trading decent players and acquiring and playing generational draft busts. And supposedly there are reports that ownership has no desire to fire anyone for the atrocity going on the banks of the Detroit River. The fans of Detroit deserve better. #FireTroyWeaver
5. Next up, Orlando Magic
The Cavs will welcome the newest darling team of the Eastern Conference Orlando Magic to the shores of Lake Erie for a possible playoff preview. Rumors are key rotation player Dean Wade will be available for the matchup, which will be crucial against the size of the Magic. The Magic are one of the hottest teams in the NBA currently, going 9-1 over the last 10 games. A win against the Magic would be a big one, Go Cavs!
