Anticipation has been building all summer for the Cleveland Cavaliers to debut their new and improved lineup. Through three preseason games thus far, there have been mixed performances. Some players have gotten off to fantastic starts while others are not playing the type of basketball we are accustomed to seeing.
It has not been an ideal start for Collin Sexton. The Young Bull is coming off the best season of his career but is shooting a horrid 14-of-41 (34 percent) from the field and committing 5 turnovers per game during the preseason.
The same goes for Isaac Okoro, who has failed to show any notable improvements on offense by going just 1-of-5 from the 3-point line and not taking on any additional ball-handling responsibilities yet despite this being a point of emphasis in his offseason development.
Nevertheless, Cleveland has enjoyed the presence of a veteran backup point guard in Ricky Rubio, who has helped push the Cavaliers to some of their best offensive sets in recent years. The addition of another floor spacer in Lauri Markkanen has helped as well — while Kevin Love is appearing engaged for the first time in a long time.
As it is only preseason, there is no reason to be concerned about Okoro or Sexton but their struggles could be tied to a larger issue that is becoming apparent in the Cavaliers’ starting five — the frontcourt might need some tweaking.
The regular season has not even begun yet but the Cleveland Cavaliers might want to reconsider their starting frontcourt lineup.
From the moment Cleveland selected Evan Mobley with the No. 3 overall pick, a number of questions began to emerge:
Would Mobley and Jarrett Allen be able to play together? Is it possible to win with two seven-footers in the modern NBA? And, could a pair of shot-blocking centers compensate for the lack of size in the backcourt?
For better or worse, the Cavs were determined to find the answers to these questions by starting both Mobley and Allen. Thus far, it has not worked out as the lack of shooting between the two bigs and Okoro is too much for Cleveland to overcome offensively.
Staggering Mobley and Allen
The dynamic of three non-shooters on the court at the same time has led to a cluttered paint. This is a nightmare for a player like Sexton who thrives at attacking the basket and has led to a few of his turnovers (though, many of them have been avoidable errors).
While the trio of Okoro, Mobley and Allen is certainly worth giving a chance due to its fantastic defensive potential — the Cavaliers are quickly realizing it might be time to try something else. This was highlighted on Friday against the Indiana Pacers when they experimented with a lineup of Markkanen, Love and Mobley.
“I think that lineup can be extremely effective. You got a ton of size, a ton of length, and a bunch of skill out there. Shooting as well. Evan and Lauri can guard multiple positions and different types of players.”
J.B. Bickerstaff on his three-big lineup via Cleveland.com
This group immediately made a difference for a Cavaliers team who opened the game with stagnant offense and unenthusiastic defense. The three-big lineup, complemented by two ball-handlers in Rubio and Garland, got off to an early run and enjoyed the best spacing Cleveland has had in years.
Whether or not playing this lineup is sustainable is a valid question. Neither Markkanen, Love or Garland are great defenders and this could leave them vulnerable against better teams. Still, this lineup showcased the need for Cleveland to have a floor-spacer in the frontcourt at all times. This means staggering minutes between the four bigs will lead to the best results.
Okoro belongs in the starting five
Of course, Okoro is part of the problem, too. It is possible to play Allen and Mobley together if Okoro is replaced by the likes of Cedi Osman, Dean Wade or Dylan Windler (who began 4-for-4 from deep last game).
However, it is more realistic to stagger minutes between the four bigs than it is to outright swap Okoro out of the starting lineup. Not only is Okoro vital to the Cavaliers perimeter defense due to Garland and Sexton’s limitations — but his backups are not nearly consistent enough to earn a starting position.
Windler has yet to play more than a month of NBA basketball without an injury and has not established himself as a knock-down shooter. Meanwhile, Osman just had the worst 3-point shooting season of his career. Wade is the most consistent of the bunch but it is hard to see Wade starting in place of a gifted defender like Okoro.
It makes sense for the Cavaliers to simply adjust their frontcourt rotation to keep Mobley and Allen paired with a shooter as much as possible. This will also help Mobley be more involved as he has already been a menace defensively but has not had much opportunity to shine on offense.
With Allen recently signing a five-year $100 million dollar extension and Mobley being the latest lottery pick — it might seem like a failure that these two can not share the court together (yet). But, it is important to remember that there is plenty of wiggle room to play these two throughout a 48-minute game and if they are more effective next to Love/Markkanen then why not maximize their potential?
Again, it is early. The team has only played three preseason games and has plenty of room to improve. Still, tweaking the starting lineup might become inevitable if this lack of spacing continues to cause problems.
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October 10, 2021 at 11:00PM
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Cleveland Cavaliers need to tweak their starting lineup - Hoops Habit
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