For three matches, the Cavaliers have been without Isaac Okoro and this is a first this season, the winger having never been absent until now. But an injury to his left knee blocks him in the infirmary.
“We need him to be in better conditions”explains JB Bickerstaff at the Plain Dealer. “If Isaac isn’t playing, it’s because his discomfort is real. We have to make sure he gets his comfort back, that’s the most important thing. It’s something we monitor every day. »
Should we start worrying about the first round of the playoffs? “I don’t have an answer, to be honest”replies the coach. ” We’ll see. »
In the meantime, the Cavaliers replaced the winger with Caris LeVert in their major five for two games, against the Hawks and Knicks. It’s the logical choice, but the former Brooklyn is now more used to coming off the bench. He has his automatisms with the substitutes.
“Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland have a good understanding so I feel like coming off the bench, for me, is the right solution to keep the balance, with Ricky Rubio. I’m a bit of a secret weapon. »
Against the Pacers, JB Bickerstaff changed five majors, again benching Caris LeVert and launching Dean Wade among the starters. To display a larger group, more physically powerful because with Caris LeVert, and especially without Jarrett Allen, during the two meetings before, the defense had suffered.
“We know what Dean is capable of when he plays with his potential”, explains the coach. “He can have impact on both sides of the pitch. He can put shots, defend on several positions. »
Perhaps it’s mostly an attempt to see if a Wade – Evan Mobley – Jarrett Allen trio could work against the physical dimension of the Knicks, the (arguably) future opponent in the first round…
Because with only 13 minutes for his interior, which has hardly played for over a month, JB Bickerstaff has not extended the experience in this part.
“We signed up with Dean last summer to involve him in our adventure. We believe in him.” assures the coach. “We know what he can do when he is at his best. For that, you have to give it a chance. Some decisions are leaps of faith, in players who have earned credit, like Dean did. »
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| Donovan Mitchell | 67 | 35.7 | 48.2 | 38.3 | 86.6 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 28.0 |
| Darius Garland | 68 | 35.4 | 46.4 | 41.2 | 86.2 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 7.8 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 21.7 |
| Evan Mobley | 77 | 34.6 | 55.6 | 21.0 | 67.3 | 2.4 | 6.7 | 9.1 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 16.3 |
| Jarrett Allen | 66 | 32.9 | 64.5 | 11.1 | 73.3 | 3.3 | 6.6 | 9.9 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 14.4 |
| Caris Levert | 73 | 30.2 | 42.8 | 38.4 | 72.2 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 12.0 |
| Cedi Osman | 74 | 20.3 | 44.9 | 36.7 | 68.6 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 8.7 |
| Kevin Love | 41 | 20.0 | 38.9 | 35.4 | 88.9 | 1.0 | 5.8 | 6.8 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 8.5 |
| isaac okoro | 76 | 21.7 | 49.4 | 36.3 | 75.7 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 6.4 |
| Ricky Rubio | 30 | 16.9 | 36.4 | 26.0 | 78.8 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 5.2 |
| lamar stevens | 59 | 18.0 | 45.5 | 30.7 | 69.8 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 5.2 |
| Dean Wade | 41 | 19.9 | 41.5 | 35.1 | 65.2 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 4.6 |
| Danny Green | 6 | 7.4 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 100.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 3.0 |
| Raulzinho Neto | 46 | 10.0 | 52.6 | 31.6 | 88.9 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 3.0 |
| Robin Lopez | 35 | 7.5 | 65.6 | 66.7 | 75.0 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 2.7 |
| Mamadi Diakite | 20 | 6.8 | 40.5 | 29.4 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 1.8 |
| Dylan Windler | 3 | 3.5 | 66.7 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Isaiah Mobley | 10 | 3.3 | 50.0 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.1 |
| Sam Merrill | 3 | 3.6 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
