Cavaliers Rookie Spotlight

Well, well. Another week is about to be in the books. And that means the time has come to look again at the Cavs rookies and how they have been playing. There is one player trending up, one down, and two with absolutely nothing going for them right now.

Continue reading for the lowdown...

Dylan Windler 

There are still no updates at this time on Dylan Windler. Knee issues kept him out of the lineup for the past two months, and the first year where he was actually able to play will wind up as a significant disappointment.

Windler was an incredible talent during his time at Belmont, but his inability to stay on the floor might make him just another name in the NBA. He doesn’t seem long for the league at this moment.

Lamar Stevens

Unfortunately, a concussion suffered almost two weeks ago has kept Lamar Stevens out of the Cavs rotation. He has stolen the heart of many fans of the team with his hard-nosed play. After going undrafted, he found an opportunity, and he took it, playing well enough to earn a multi-year contract.

There have been some great moments from Lamar throughout the season. And even if he does not play again, he proved that he can stick in the league. A legend at Penn State, he would probably have been drafted had he been able to finish his career in March Madness. Fewer eyeballs were on him.

Brodric Thomas

Even when he gets playing time these days, Brodric Thomas does not get too many chances to make an impact. It’s been a minimal run for him, and he doesn’t get too many touches. It is apparent that the former Division-II standout can shoot the lights out.

He is also a good defender. But, he is not a player with enough merit to get more minutes than the likes of Cedi Osman or Damyean Dotson. It really is too bad, but it’s how things are.

Isaac Okoro

Ladies and gentlemen, let it be known that Isaac Okoro is a star. The man just scored 32 points against the Phoenix Suns in a narrow OT loss. He scored the final five points of the fourth quarter to help get the game tied. He made a number of key defensive plays throughout the evening.

What more could you want from the #5 pick right now? It was obvious how well he could defend as he continues to do it every night at a high level. Now that he has shown an ability to be able to lead in scoring, better days will be on the horizon. It could be the thing that cements him as a long-term starter and also star in Cleveland.

Okoro has now scored 20+ points twice in the last eight games after not doing it for the whole year. He leads all rookies in minutes played and is likely to make an All-Rookie team. It has been marvelous to watch him grow throughout the year. Okoro is a special talent that the Cavs are lucky to have.