Cavaliers Rookie Spotlight

Brodric Thomas

Brodric Thomas has only logged 10 minutes in a Cavs uniform. And that number probably won’t be going up anytime soon, barring injury news. He has scored nine points with one rebound in his time on the floor. 

He’s known as a shooter, and should he ever get some significant run alongside Darius Garland, he could develop as a scorer. Until next time.

Lamar Stevens

We haven’t seen any Lamar Stevens minutes in non-blowout situations in a number of games. Since Cedi Osman came back from his injury, he’s gone back into the backup small forward role. And if Taurean Prince was also healthy, Stevens might just be a rotational afterthought. 

Lamar has shown some positive flashes throughout the year. He’s proven to be a tremendous perimeter defender and also capable of delivering in the clutch. His game-winning dunk against Atlanta is a memory we’ll all have forever. I hope he gets some more burn soon.

Dylan Windler

Since going 9-9 from three in a two-game stretch against Atlanta and Houston, Dylan Windler hasn’t had much luck. He has failed to knock down a three in six of seven games while not impacting the game in any other area. The highest net rating he’s had in this stretch is a mere +5 in 16 minutes of action during the team’s recent loss to a rejuvenated Hawks team.

Windler has scored 10+ points on five occasions this year and is a terrific rebounder from the forward spot. His defense has been good at times, though it isn’t anything special like the team’s other rookies. 

But he needs a little more run, too. Windler has logged just 15 total minutes over the last two contests. 

He’ll certainly get his mojo back at some point.

Isaac Okoro

In the Cavs win over Boston on Wednesday night, Isaac Okoro was spectacular. First and foremost, his defense was brilliant all night. 

He was able to avoid foul trouble and log 35 minutes against a team with perhaps the most lethal 1-2 perimeter scoring punch in the league. Brown and Tatum did combine for 57 points, but Okoro made life tough for Tatum all night.

He finished the game with 15 points, including something of a poster dunk on Tatum in the fourth quarter and making all five of his free-throws. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists. The most intriguing part of his 15-point effort might be that all of his baskets were in the paint.

Okoro made five lay-ups and five foul shots. But the impressive part is how many of them were in traffic. He hit a tough reverse layup with about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter to give the team a much-needed basket.

Okoro continues to show improvement in all aspects of his game. His NBA future is very bright.