Cleveland may be forced to play without two of their best defenders.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to bounce back from their one-sided loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday as they travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. They could be going into that game without two key rotation pieces as Evan Mobley (right calf soreness) and Isaac Okoro (right shoulder) are questionable for the game.
Mobley is having a breakout season. His performance against the Thunder, in which he scored just five points and produced three rebounds, was one of the first times all season that he hasn’t looked like an All-Star. Whether that poor performance can be chalked up to not being 100% isn’t known.
Mobley suffered a left ankle sprain on Dec. 8 which caused him to miss one game. The Cavs are 2-0 without Mobley this season. He is averaging 18.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season.
Okoro was out of the lineup for three weeks with a shoulder injury he suffered against the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 16. He hasn’t been the same since returning on Jan. 8. He’s registered just 10 total points on 3-24 shooting across five games. This includes only making one three pointer in that time.
This poor shooting performance isn’t what we saw before the injury. Prior to returning, Okoro was averaging 6.6 points on .495/.492/.714 shooting splits. The three-point volume wasn’t high, 2.7 per game, but he was showing that he turned a corner. It just seems like he hasn’t fully recovered from the injury. Okoro is averaging 5.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game this season.
The Cavs will likely turn to more Sam Merrill if Okoro isn’t able to go. Wade and Niang will likely see increased responsibilities if Mobley is sidelined.