When the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to trade away Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball, it was viewed as the Cavaliers making a swing to solidify their bench minutes for the postseason. While Isaac Okoro was a player
who gradually improved over the course of his five-year career with the Cavaliers, he was never someone who could exist in the postseason on a consistent basis. Often disregarded and left unattended for possessions at a time in crucial minutes.
After a few seasons of this, the Cavaliers decided to take a chance on what many regarded as their “Alex Caruso-esque” trade. Lonzo Ball is someone who is known around the league for his quality defense and knack for running an offense, the latter of which is what really drew the Cavaliers’ attention.
Ball, at his best, could impact a game on both sides of the floor. It had become clear that Okoro was never going to reach that ceiling. So, the trade was made.
But how is this vision by the Cavaliers’ brass panning out thus far? Um, based on the title of this post, not great.
The 2025-2026 version of Lonzo Ball is arguably more frustrating than any of the recent iterations of Isaac Okoro. To say that Lonzo is struggling offensively is an understatement. Ball is currently in the fourth percentile of effective field goal percentage (41.4%). This is the lowest of his career, and boy, does the eye test confirm this.
Lonzo’s shooting splits include a nauseating 56% (12th percentile) around the rim, 33% from the midrange (27th percentile), and 27th from perimeter (10th percentile).
While you might be reaching for a bag to vomit in, what is equally hard to stomach, if you dare be so bold, is Lonzo’s shot diet. What if I told you that, along with those horrendous shooting percentages, Lonzo was getting to the rim for 14% of his shots, and that 80% (yes, you read that correctly, EIGHTY PERCENT) of his shots are coming from the perimeter.
If you were curious who else are Lonzo’s peers in that category positionally, that would be AJ Green, Sam Merrill, Baylor Scheierman and Duncan Robinson (insert the derpy dragon meme here).
The stats, while horrifying, do not fully paint the picture of the on-court product. Lonzo is apparently pursuing a career as a professional bricklayer; he has devolved into someone who will either shoot a contested look or quickly pass the ball. When Lonzo has good looks, he often will defer to set up someone else.
Lonzo at this point, cannot be in lineups without the likes of Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell. If he is getting run with Craig Porter Jr, Jaylon Tyson or Nae’Qwan Tomlin then the warts become ever more apparent. Lonzo can’t create any looks for himself and needs a player with legitimate gravity in order to limit poor shot attempts.
That would be fine if it weren’t clearly part of the draw when Ball was acquired.
Ball has shown nothing offensively that makes me believe that defenses will stay close to him in the postseason. If I were an opposing coach, I would be looking to get Lonzo to shoot as many times as possible. Which sounds familiar — is that not where we were with Okoro?
Yes, Lonzo has A++ vision and passing skills, but when the lack of gravity can’t break down defenses, how often can the Cavaliers utilize that skillset?
As the Cavaliers look to get healthier and steady the ship, they’ll be hoping Lonzo Ball can rise with the tide. However, if Ball’s bizarre shot diet and poor efficiency continue, the team may find that, even if they don’t miss Isaac Okoro, this trade will still go down as a disappointment.
