I value Okoro because he’s so young. We don’t know how he will develop down the road, but for now, I wouldn’t trade him. Hard to find good young defenders. As for LeBron, his age has certainly started to show. His Net Rating was the worst of his career last season as it dropped into the negative territory for the first time since his rookie year. The clock is ticking. He can still be effective on the offensive end, but would the Cavs win the championship with him? At 38 he would not be what Kawhi Leonard was for the Raptors in 2019 for example. For me the odds are not good enough to justify giving up any of our good young players for him. I could be wrong, but that’s how I see it. Anyway, the media is probably going to be all over this. I hope it won’t affect the Cavs’ players too much (rumors about what players might get traded for LeBron etc.).
Good argument. You could be right.
However, according to Cleaningtheglass.com the Lakers were 3.1 points per 100 possessions better with LeBron on the court (4.1 points better offensively and 1.0 points worse defensively). I believe that putting him on the court with a younger team his impact would be even higher, especially if he were teamed with a point guard like Garland.
Okoro showed no improvement in his offensive game from his first to his second season. Also, in the final win-or-go-home game against Atlanta, when all five starters were finally available, LeVert started at the 2 while Okoro was on the bench. The acquisition of LeVert, the drafting of Agbaji and the return of Sexton makes Okoro less valuable than he was when drafted and we did not have LeVert, Agbaji, and Markkanen.
If we go into this season with LeVert, Sexton, Agjaji, and Markkanen on the team I don't know where Okoro's minutes will come from. And after Rubio returns we can use the lethal pairing of Garland and Rubio in the backcourt, which will push Okoro even further down the depth chart.
Okoro is still very young and from all reports is a hard worker. He has the chance to develop into a decent starter, IMO. It may take a couple more years because nobody is looking for a shooting guard who averages 8.8 points per 31 minutes (last year) or a small forward who is 6'5" and shoots 35% from deep.
I compare Okoro to the Sixers shooting guard Matisse Thybulle, an elite defender at shooting guard, who averaged 5.7 points in 25 minutes per game. Thybulle started 50 games for a 51-win team, so you can win with a non-scoring defensive standout if you have enough scoring at other positions (Embiid, Harden, Maxey, etc). I think the Cavs could win with a lineup of Garland, LeVert or Sexton, Okoro, Mobley, and Allen.
But there is no comparison between Okoro and LeBron. I could be wrong, but if the Cavs are in the hunt and have a chance to get LeBron next year for Okoro and Love and a future pick, I don't see how they pass that up.
