Zo is coming to Cleveland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly traded Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Lonzo Ball.
Let’s break this thing down.
Catching up with Lonzo
If you haven’t followed Ball recently, now’s a good time to catch up on where he’s been. So let’s debrief.
Ball was the 2nd overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft. He’s a basketball savant and a jumbo-sized 6’6” point guard who entered the league with elite athleticism. His explosiveness has since diminished in the wake of numerous career-altering injuries. Ball has undergone three surgeries on the same knee and hasn’t played more than 50 games since the 2020-21 season.
All of this might sound concerning. And it should. Ball hasn’t been available for half a decade’s worth of basketball. His offensive game hasn’t expanded enough to make you feel confident in his ability to compensate for the constant injuries. Ball shot just 36% from the floor last season and 34% from deep.
And yet, one thing still rings true: Lonzo Ball is a basketball genius who can raise Cleveland’s ceiling.
A new offensive wrinkle
There aren’t many players in the league who have Ball’s feel for the game. He’s a generational playmaker, when healthy, and would be playing in a sandbox with all of Cleveland’s offensive talent.
Ball will have a field day dishing the rock to Evan Mobley or spraying it out to one of the Cavs’ three-point shooters. His playmaking is an inherent upgrade from what they had on the bench last season.
In the aftermath of being full-court-pressed to death against Indiana — adding another skilled ball-handler feels like more than a luxury. Ball is another player who can orchestrate the offense and play next to any of the core four.
The rest of his offense will be a concern. However, Ball was trending upwards before missing the last two seasons due to injury. He shot 37% from deep in consecutive seasons before drilling a career-best 42% of his 7.4 attempts per game in 2022.
Offensively, Ball will bring additional playmaking and keep the engine running whenever he’s paired with Cleveland’s scorers. Things will get dicey if at any point he’s relied upon to score the ball himself — or goes cold from behind the arch.
A disruptive defender
The final piece of the puzzle is Ball’s defense. There was a time when Ball was an All-Defensive caliber player. His size and athleticism, matched with phenomenal instincts, made him one of the most disruptive perimeter defenders in the game. Ball averaged a career-high 2.2 steals per 36 minutes last season.
Ball will immediately become one of the best screen-navigators on the team. He’s always excelled at chasing opponents on the perimeter and this skill didn’t disappear in his most recent season in Chicago. The Cavs will benefit from a taller guard who can fight through these screens more easily.
Most of all, Ball is a great rebounder for his position. He has a strong frame and a nose for finding loose balls. Being able to clean the glass is something the Cavs have had trouble with. Finding some help in the backcourt will go a long way towards patching up this weakness.
The Okoro side of things
Now let’s shift our focus over to Okoro. And as we do that, take note of the strengths and weaknesses we gave for Ball. Because on the surface, Okoro and Ball might seem similar. But they differ in fundamental ways.
Yes, Okoro is a limited shooter whose strengths lie on defense, much like Ball. However, unlike Ball, Okoro’s offensive limitations extend to his ball-handling. There’s a reason Okoro is often stuck hiding in the corner and it’s because he has struggled to carry more offensive responsibility. Ball, at the very least, is a dynamic dribbler who can run an offense even when he isn’t scoring efficiently.
Defensively, Okoro is a 6’5” brute whose athleticism makes him an elite suppressor. Okoro’s at his best when he’s denying the ball or forcing opponents to move their actions away from him. This is a genuine skill that Okoro brings to the table and it shouldn’t be overlooked.
With that said, Okoro has never been a defensive playmaker. That means he rarely turns anyone over, blocks shots, or ends the possession with a rebound. This is where Ball serves in stark contrast. Ball can make things happen on defense. Whereas Okoro primarily does his best work in simply denying his opponent an open shot. Both skills are valuable. Ball’s might mean more in the long run.
Okoro does have the advantage in one key area. Availability. Okoro has never missed more than 30 games in a season. Ball, on the other hand, has hardly played in 30 games since 2021. There’s value in Okoro’s ability to eat innings throughout a long regular season. The Cavs will miss his durability, as it no doubt helped them win 64 games last year. But sacrificing regular season success for a higher ceiling in the playoffs is where the Cavs currently find themselves.
Final grade
Overall, the Cavs get a playmaking guard with good size and feel for the game. He’ll help them on the glass — and could even upgrade their defense due to his ability to generate turnovers and blow up actions. The looming risk is Lonzo’s health, which isn’t easy to gamble on. But at the cost of Okoro, this is a risk the Cavs should be willing to take.
Taking in one final consideration, Ball only has one guaranteed year on his deal with a team option next summer. Which means if this all falls apart, the Cavs won’t be left holding the bag.
I can’t give this a perfect grade because of Ball’s durability. Nonetheless, Cavs fans should feel satisfied with this move.
Grade: A-