Lauri Markkanen came to life against Timberwolves and sits atop the post-game list

Cavs’ Lauri Markkanen gave it his all against the Timberwolves.

Lauri Markkanen really gave it all to the Timberwolves on both sides of the court. He currently has a +2.6 OFF RAPTOR and a +0.6 DEF RAPTOR, and has shut down all the talk on him not being a “wing player”. He clearly can do the job, so there’s no reason to pursue one. The Cavs should consider adding a piece, to help offset the loss of minutes by Collin Sexton, but the Cavs starting five is secured, and Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love have proven to be too valuable to move on from.

Markkanen has proven himself to be the Cavs’ best option at the three spot (small forward) and he’s proving each and every week that whatever concerns one has about his play, he can in fact be everything for the team. Plus, he’s a really impressive scorer.

The Cavs blew out the Timberwolves 126-106 and advanced to 15-12 on the season.

Now, onto the Top 3. As always, the bottom is in descending order with the lowest number being the worst and the top is in ascending order with three being the best.

The best and worst from the Cavs obliteration of the Timberwolves

The Worst Three Performers

1. The reserved unit

It’s my list, it’s my opinions, I can change things up whenever I want. Watching the reserves just tank in their five-plus minutes on the court was disheartening. You’d think they’d want to pour it on and help the Cavs embarrasses the Wolves even further. Instead, all they did was let the Wolves close the gap and give me concerns about any of them getting significant minutes in the event of an injury. Here’s hoping they were just exhausted from all the cheering they were doing prior to their entry into the game.

The Best Three Performers

1. Kevin Love
2. Jarrett Allen
3. Lauri Markkanen

Watching Kevin Love dropped a double-double off the bench is one of my new favorite things. His 18 points and 13 rebounds came to him as if he were 22 again. He was bumping around down low and making free throws all night long. His shot seems to be falling again and that is only going to be an issue for opposing teams. This is why he gets the single point for the night.

The two-pointer goes to Jarrett Allen who dominated the Wolves. He went 9-11 from the floor for 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. He had a box +/- of +26 and his defense helped him detour Karl Anthony-Towns (with help from Evan Mobley).

For the three points, obviously, we’re going with Lauri Markkanen. He had 19 points, on 7-8 shooting, with two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. His fit in this Cavs system cannot be overstated enough.

Yearly Standing:

1. Jarrett Allen (34 points)
2. Ricky Rubio (25 points)
3. Darius Garland (24 points)
4. Lauri Markkanen (20 points)
5. Cedi Osman (16 points)
6. Kevin Love (15 points)
7. Evan Mobley (12 points)
8. Dean Wade (3 points)
9. *TIE* Isaac Okoro/Dylan Windler (1 point)