The Cavs Showed Their First Glimpses Of Life After LeBron James In Their Summer League Debut

LAS VEGAS — Almost as soon as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first Summer League game started, basketball fans were given a glimpse of what life might be like in Cleveland after LeBron James. Despite losing the opening tip, Collin Sexton and Cedi Osman worked to make sure the Cavaliers got the first bucket of the game. Osman jumped a passing lane to force a turnover, and the ball ended up in Sexton’s hands after some chaos. The rookie point guard got things going in the other direction, only to find Osman wide open on the perimeter. One pass led to an uncontested jumper and the first three points of the evening.

This is Cleveland’s future, one which came suddenly after James’ decision to leave the franchise for the second time, this time to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Kevin Love is still here, as are a handful of veterans who carved out important roles around James — guys like George Hill, J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver, and Tristan Thompson. They’re battle-tested, the exact kind of players who, in the absence of an alpha dog on the roster, can scrap together a perfectly respectable season.

Whether things stay that way, of course, remains to be seen. The Eastern Conference is something of a mess right now, and it stands to reason that the Cavaliers can make it to the postseason with their mix of grizzled veterans and young, promising players. Would this group win a title? No, and it almost certainly wouldn’t be able to get past the Bostons and the Philadelphias (or, even, the Torontos or the Indianas) of the world and make it to their fifth NBA Finals in a row. Would it win a playoff series? With a few bounces that go in their favor and a favorable matchup, it’s possible.

The other option is to blow it all up, letting the youth that was on display on Friday evening in Cox Pavilion lead them into the future. The post-LeBron world is a weird one, and focusing it around veterans might be tempting with Cleveland’s less-than-stellar track record when the kid from Akron is suiting up for another team.

Still, if Dan Gilbert, Koby Altman, and co. decide to go in a younger direction, the team has a pair of potential pillars in Osman and Sexton. The former spent his first year in the NBA learning from players like James and Korver, and their influences on him were on display in Cleveland’s 72-59 win over the Wizards. Osman’s jumper, while ineffective against Washington (1-for-6 from three), has been tinkered with, to the point that it almost looks like he’s mimicking his famous marksman of a teammate’s stroke from long range. And while Osman will likely never be James — which isn’t a knock against him in the slightest — this dish to Ante Zizic (who we’ll talk about in a second) was simply LeBronian.

Beyond his off shooting night, Osman made his impact felt in all aspects of the game. He went for 15 point, 10 rebounds, and three assists while leading the Cavaliers in minutes (31) and steals (four). Head coach Ty Lue sang his praises on the broadcast, saying he expects the second-year man out of Macedonia to have a bigger role during his sophomore campaign.

Of course, you expect Osman to play like this — the dude appeared in 61 games during his rookie campaign on a team that made it to the NBA Finals. Sexton, meanwhile, showcased the skills that more or less got him drafted eighth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The University of Alabama product was fearless, attacking the rim with aplomb. His 4-for-12 shooting night left plenty to be desired, as did the fact that he didn’t record an assist, but he was tied with Osman with 15 points along with seven rebounds. Sexton hounded opponents defensively, made it a point to communicate with his teammates, and generally looked like someone who isn’t worried about the magnitude of his first professional game, even if he admitted there were some jitters to work past.

Beyond the pair, the story of the night for the Cavaliers was the play of Ante Zizic. Viewed as something of an afterthought in the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston, Zizic played in 32 regular season games last season and largely saw mop up duty in blowouts during the postseason. The big man from Croatia was a beast, leading Cleveland in scoring (16), rebounding (14), and assists (five). Lue called him “Big Z” on the broadcast, and you can see some shades of the Cavs’ original Big Z, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, with how skilled he is down low.

It must be stressed that this is one Summer League game, and two of the three standouts for the Cavaliers in this game were guys who were on an NBA roster last year. The third was a lottery pick two weeks ago. They, theoretically, should have good games in this setting. But still, for as simple as it sounds, things like effort, savvy, and the influences that other players have had on their games do come through in Summer League action. At the very least, the Cavaliers can take solace in the fact that these were all on display through one game.