The Cavs of Cleveland defeated the Indiana Pacers 107-104 in their preseason premiere, winning behind solid performances from Cedi Osman and Isaac Okoro.
The Cavs had a good outing in their first preseason game, leaving many fans excited about the possibility of this team going forward. The team was able to pull out the 107-104 win over the Pacers, despite stars like Kevin Love, Andre Drummond, and Larry Nance Jr. only playing a handful of minutes in the first half.
Isaac Okoro had the most minutes played with 32, followed by Thon Maker with 27, Dante Exum with 24, and Dyland Windler with 23. Exum and Windler weren’t the stories of the game, finishing with only eight and seven points respectively.
Other big names in Collin Sexton and Kevin Porter Jr. didn’t play at all in the preseason opener.
So what did we learn from the win over the Pacers?
Cedi Osman could be something special
Cedi Osman had a hell of a first-half. He shot 6-of-11 from the floor, with 3-of-6 from the three-point line, and hit 8-of-9 free throws for 23 points. He also tacked on five additional rebounds for a stellar game for the small forward. Osman has had issues with usage and consistency but if this is a sign of things to come, Cavs fans will be very happy with Osman.
Darius Garland still has a long way to go
Despite offseason chatter of Darius Garland looking much better than his rookie campaign, he still struggled in the preseason premiere. Garland shot 6-11 but only went 1-of-4 from three-point while turning the ball over five times. He finished with a team worse +/- of -13, all while putting up 14 total points. Despite his usage, he only had one assist.
Thon Maker or Damyean Dotson may just make the roster
Neither man was making waves when they joined the Cavs but both men played very well in their debut with the Cavs. While it’s fair to remind everyone it is just preseason, it’s still a nice snapshot of what could be. Dotson shot 5-of-6 from the floor with 2-of-2 from three-point, finishing with 12 points on the night. Maker on the other hand was a physical force for most of the game. He only scored 10 points and shot only 5-of-10 from the floor but he racked up 10 rebounds and two steals. Maker was supposed to be a big defender when he was drafted and it’s entirely possible that he can still be someone of value.
Isaac Okoro has solid premire
Isaac Okoro came in with some questions about his shooting, for one night at least, those questions were quited. Like with Osman, Maker, and Dotson, it is only preseason so it’s best to pump the expectations, but Okoro had a heck of a day. He went 6-of-9 from the floor, with 2-of-4 from three-point, while nabbing three steals as well. He finished the night second on the team with 18 points. Though, none more impressive than his last-second defense of T.J. McConnell that turned into a fast break, three-point-play that secured the win.