Dribbles: Caris LeVert Debuts, Cavs Roll, And Things Remain As Good As Ever

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 105-92 home win over the Spurs on Wednesday.

1. Caris LeVert played his first game in a Cavs uniform and it was simply more of the same.

2. This year, that’s good news. The Cavs actually want it to be business as usual.

3. LeVert came off the bench, played 28 minutes, went 4-of-11 shooting and scored 11 points. Overall, it was a productive night. He missed a couple of shots you have to believe he’ll make once he gets better acclimated.

4. The best LeVert play was actually a pass — which came in the form of an alley-oop to Jarrett Allen for a one-handed monster slam. Allen and LeVert were teammates with the Nets, and Allen was particularly excited when the Cavs acquired LeVert from the Pacers earlier this week. LeVert was especially excited, too.

5. So, Darius Garland, what do you think of Caris on the Cavs? “It’s great, glad he’s here,” Garland told Serena Winters of Bally Sports Cleveland. “He came in aggressive tonight and we need that every night.”

6. Lost in all the LaVert buzz, of course, was the return of Garland. He had missed the previous four games with a back issue. But he made it known he was back — and all the way back — almost immediately.

7. In the end, Garland went for 27 points on a sizzling 12-of-15 shooting, with six assists. He looked like the All-Star that he is. No surprise there.

8. Meanwhile, the Cavs’ Twin Terminal Towers of Allen and Evan Mobley were also dominant, creating absolute havoc in the paint both in terms of rebounding and altering shots. Mobley scored 18 and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Allen went for 15 and 14, respectively.

9. And let’s not forget Isaac Okoro, who gave another underrated showing with 14 points, 4-of-6 shooting and some truly stellar defense. It’s easy to forget that Okoro is in just his second season. He could still get a lot better, as Year No. 3 is generally when guys tend to take off. Best of all, the Cavs (34-21) outscored the Spurs by 14 when Okoro was on the floor.

10. Basically, it was another teamwide effort all the way across the bench — from coach J.B. Bickerstaff to Kevin Love to Cedi Osman to Rajon Rondo to even Dean Wade.

11. It’s true that Wade didn’t score, but as Cavs analyst Austin Carr said during the broadcast, the Cavs now have enough scorers. They need guys who are willing to do the other stuff and can do it relatively well.

12. Bickerstaff on LeVert: “He’s a hard one-on-one guard. He’s a good pick-and-roll player. We saw some of the plays that he made to his teammates as well. So he’s a complete offensive player that’s going to take a lot of pressure off of our guys.”

13. Yeah, Garland can attest to that, and after losing Collin Sexton and then Ricky Rubio, it’s nice that Garland will have a running mate who can get buckets. Don’t forget, LeVert erupted for 42 points in his final game with the Pacers. He is that type of threat.

14. Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell each scored 18 to lead the Spurs (20-35), and Derrick White added 17. All-Star Dejounte Murray scored 16, but few came easily.

15. Finally, yes, it’s trade deadline eve. Could the Cavs make another move? Well, by the time you read this, they may have already. So yes, president of basketball operations Koby Altman is exploring. But if not, hey, things are going pretty good as is.