The Cleveland Cavaliers lost two key rotation pieces when they traded Georges Niang and Caris LeVert, but they got a massive boost with De’Andre Hunter’s arrival.
Now, they could soon get some more reinforcements.
According to a report by Jeff Schudel of The Morning Journal, Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade are inching closer to getting back on the court:
“Isaac Okoro (shoulder) and Dean Wade (knee) are getting closer to returning to the lineup. Prior to the All-Star break (Feb. 13-18), neither had been cleared for contact in practice, but Atkinson said their workload will be amped up when practice resumes beginning Feb. 19,” Schudel said.
Of course, there’s no need to rush either of them back and risk aggravating their injuries.
Wade has struggled with injuries for most of his career, and he’s one of the team’s best and biggest defenders, so they can’t afford to have him out for when it matters the most.
Okoro is a very good perimeter defender.
He was in the midst of a breakout offensive season before these nagging shoulder ailments sidelined him again.
The Cavs continue to have the best record in the Association, and as such, they can afford to have them sit out and wait until they’re fully healed before getting back on the hardwood.
This team is ranked in the top ten for both offense and defense.
Even without Niang and LeVert, they have sufficient depth to compensate for their absence and maintain their performance over the next couple of weeks.
They know that getting back to full strength and staying healthy should be their top priority from now on.
Hopefully, they will be able to avoid any setbacks and will stay on the court until it actually counts.
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