The front court depth was hurt with the loss of center Bismack Biyombo in free agency this summer and with much of the squads salary cap taken with the resigning of DeMar DeRozan, finding added depth took some creativity and a bit of luck.
Luck came in the form of former first round pick Jared Sullinger, who was let go by Boston after not reaching expectations, but his size and ability to grab rebounds is just what this franchise needed and his signing was cheap enough to warrant the risk.
In his first action of the preseason, the 24-year-old scored 7 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. While the offensive numbers aren’t great, his play fills a need and could be just what this organization needs to make another run at a top four spot in the Eastern Conference.
With the back court being set and one of the best in the league, size is what is needed and the front office filled that need through the NBA Draft. Seven-footer Jakob Poeltl was the first of two selections in the opening round and he has shown flashes of being very capable through two preseason contests.
The former Utah Utes star has 14 points and 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes of playing time, but he needs to show more polish on the defensive end of the court, much like Sullinger as both are slow in transition, but they have shown the ability to hit the boards hard and pickup some cheap baskets with hustle.
Pascal Siakam was taken with the 27th overall pick in June and figured to become a work in progress for the team, but the youngster has shown promise, scoring 9 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in two games and earning more time on the court with his work ethic.
With DeRozan and Kyle Lowry running the show on offense, if these three players can come together and supply this team with good minutes, Cleveland might be out of reach, but another second place finish in the east is possible and worse case scenario has the Toronto Raptors still in the playoffs and giving their youngsters some much-needed experience, which will help this franchise down the road.
