The 2020 NBA Draft Lottery Landed The Cleveland Cavaliers The Perfect Situation

It’s been nearly five months since we’ve been removed from the Cleveland Cavaliers making major news. Sure, there were small blips like Andre Drummond planning on picking up his player option. But, other than that, it’s been relatively quiet for Cleveland all things considered. That is, until the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery happened on Thursday night and the Cavaliers learned they would be picking fifth-overall for the second year in a row. After such a tumultuous season and having the best-possible odds for the first pick, it does seem a little disappointing at first. But, when you really think about it this was the best possible thing to happen for Cleveland.

The 2020 NBA Draft is home to some of the most polarizing prospects since the 2013 crop, especially towards the top. The general consensus is that the top three players in the 2020 class are LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, and Anthony Edwards in no particular order. All three have a ton of upside and could be future All-Stars, sure. But, they also have glaring weaknesses and pitfalls that could limit them at the NBA level. For a team like Cleveland, that has playoff ambitions next season, selecting a player like that isn’t feasible right now. They cannot afford to wait for a player to grow and develop to their full potential. Instead, the Cavaliers need to target players that are more NBA ready in this year’s draft class, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

With the fifth pick, that need becomes a reality for Cleveland. After you get past the trio of Ball, Wiseman and Edwards, there are plenty of more NBA-ready prospects ripe for the picking. There’s Southern California big man Onyeka Okongwu, arguably one of the top defensive players in this year’s draft class. On the wing, there are also players like Auburn’s Isaac Okoro or Florida State’s Devin Vassell.

When it comes to the short list of top prospects for the Cavaliers, Okongwu sits firmly at the top. The USC center probably had the most impressive statistical season in college basketball last season, averaging 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 62 percent from the field. While none of those are eye-popping individually, the total package is incredibly rare. Okongwu’s main draw is actually as a perimeter defender, similar to Cleveland center Tristan Thompson, in his ability to defend a variety of pick-and-roll coverages effectively. He also showed a good awareness as a traditional shot-blocker, and his impressive flexibility allows him to contest against more powerful drivers without fouling.

Despite being incredibly polished already, there are areas where Okongwu can continue to grow and develop. But, that doesn’t mean Okongwu isn’t NBA-ready and projects to be a top-flight defensive center in his rookie season. The player he best compares to is actually Thompson or Miami’s Bam Adebayo, which would be a great addition for the Cavaliers as the Canadian big man is expected to exit in free agency. Drafting Okongwu would also likely mean extending Drummond beyond this season is off the table as well. This is probably for the best for both Cleveland and Drummond and also would allow the Cavaliers time to let Okongwu develop primarily off the bench. If the former Trojan blossoms early, Cleveland can trade Drummond’s $28.7 million expiring contract by the deadline. If not, Okongwu can play in relief of Drummond as he continues to develop.

If Okongwu doesn’t pique Cleveland’s fancy, they can take a long look at options on the perimeter. The Cavaliers haven’t had even a competent wing defender since J.R. Smith was in a contract season during the 2015-16 season. With how perimeter-heavy today’s NBA is, and the fact Cleveland hasn’t had one in many moons, this should be a more pressing priority for them. Thankfully, the Cavaliers have two stellar options on the perimeter in both Okoro and Vassell.

Okoro is a high energy player who set the tone on a nightly basis while at Auburn. He’s a disruptive force on both ends of the floor, possesses dynamic strength and athleticism and a motor that runs hot. Okoro’s defensive ability, his greatest strength, is truly special. He can guard just about every position on the court and is also a great help defender who can give help and then recover to his man as well as any prospect in this class. Okoro also runs the floor hard on offense and can be a load to handle once he gets a full head of steam, where he uses his power to drive through contact to the basket. When the shot isn’t available for him, Okoro has also showcased a knack to find three-point shooters in drive and kick situations. His handle also isn’t the tightest, but it shows potential towards being stable at the next level.

The biggest flaw in Okoro’s game comes with his shooting, where he only connected on a putrid 28.6% of his three-point attempts in college. But, his shooting motion is fine and likely just needs some fine-tuning. If he does that, he should be a consistent and capable three-point shooter. Thankfully for Okoro, Cleveland has one of the best player development staffs in the league and they firmly believe they can fix Okoro’s shot if he were selected by the organization, per league sources. If that were to happen, the Cavaliers would have a prospect comparable to Jaylen Brown on their hands. If not, Cleveland still gets a great player but his options offensively are a bit more limited.

Vassell, meanwhile, is a rangy sophomore wing who, like Okoro, plays hard on both ends of the floor. Also like Okoro, Vassell is a superb defender who possesses lateral quickness and quick hands. Vassell’s 6’10” wingspan and great anticipation make him disruptive in the passing lanes as well, where he averaged 1.4 steals per game. Where Okoro and Vassell are truly different though is on the offensive side of the ball. Vassell is a three-level scorer and possesses a refined mid-range game with an overhead release that’s hard to block. He gets the defender off balance with jab-steps and can rise from awkward angles to get his shot. Vassell is by no means a volume scorer, but can get his own shot and is efficient with his touches. He also has showcased deep range ability in college, connecting on nearly 42% of his attempts for his collegiate career.

The major flaw of Vassell’s is that his athleticism, especially compared to Okoro’s, is not great for NBA standards. But, that shouldn’t deter Cleveland from considering him. Unlike Okoro, Vassell is more an NBA-ready prospect, with a ton of plug and play potential. Vassell would compliment either Darius Garland or Collin Sexton beautifully in tandem in the backcourt. Vassell also has the size to play the three right away and could work there as well for the Cavaliers. Vassell’s ceiling is Milwaukee star Khris Middleton while his floor is comparable to Phoenix’s Mikal Bridges. Vassell will likely fall somewhere in the middle and if he were to come to Cleveland, they would get a superb player.

So, in the end everything isn’t lost for the Cavaliers after falling to fifth overall. Clearly, there are plenty of good, possibly great, options available for the Cavaliers at that spot. If Cleveland is serious about their playoff hopes next year, then they need to address their needs defensively and adding any of the aforementioned players would do exactly that.