Is this the Cavs ideal starting lineup?

Should the Cleveland Cavaliers be “All In” on the youth?

There’s been a lot of speculation about the potential starting lineups for the Cleveland Cavaliers next season but the best option might be the lineup that shows their investment in their young talent.

The Starters

Point guard Collin Sexton: 19-years-old and the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Sexton’s growth as a point guard shouldn’t be expected to be without ‘growing pains’ as he’s a score-first player and he only played one season at the collegiate level. However, the best teacher in life is experience and while that’s a solid reason for letting Sexton start from Day 1, that’s also how Sexton plays the point guard position.

As the game wears on, Sexton’s feel for the game — his timing, awareness and pace — heightens.

Lastly, Sexton’s breakneck pace is the stuff that Lue dreams of.

Over the years he’s stressed the importance of playing at a fast pace and attacking before the defense can set up. Sexton is perfect for that role.

Shooting guard Rodney Hood: 25-years-old and entering his fifth pro season.

The Cavs traded for him in February when they sent Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal that also led to George Hill’s arrival and, at first, Cavs fans were ecstatic. He was averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting 38.9 percent from three at that time and it seemed like the Cavs got a steal.

His 15-point Cavs debut against the Boston Celtics and a 14-point outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the following game only added to that thought.

Truly, though Hood’s production fell off of a cliff in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Hood was already well on his way towards those types of performances. While with the Jazz, Hood had become proficient with the ball in his hands, particularly in the pick-and-roll. With the Cavs, he was reduced to a spot-up shooter as they continued to use players as standstill passing targets for James instead of dynamic playmakers.

With LeBron gone, it’s unlikely that Hood will be asked to spot-up all game. Further, with the absence of his playmaking, Hood is in prime position to pick up his contributions across the board.

This offseason, Hood has worked on improving his body and looks more capable of finishing through contact, one area of his game that he needed to work on. Hood’s ball-handling appears to be more crisp as well.

Small forward Cedi Osman: 23-years-old and entering his second pro season.

Osman was the 31st overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Having shown early signs of being a potential three-and-D wing, one of the most important archetypal players in the league today, Osman impressed with his development as a point-forward as well.

He was allowed to develop with Anadolu Efes in Turkey for two seasons before the Cavs brought him stateside for his rookie season.

As a rookie, Osman showed that he was even better than advertised.

At the NBA-level, opportunities for him to be a featured scorer were scarce but he made an undeniable impact as a three-position perimeter defender, especially on-ball. He shot 36.8 percent from three. He also was allowed to play a point-forward role when, consistently walking the ball up the court and initiating sets in the halfcourt.

Over the summer, Osman has decided to make the three-point shot a staple of his game and it’s where nearly half of his attempts seem to come from. He’s also more confident attacking players off-the-bounce.

Simply put, Osman should play J.R. Smith’s role but be better in it since he has better shot-selection and a larger defensive impact.

Power forward Kevin Love: 30-years-old and entering his eleventh pro season.

The Cavs traded for him in 2014 when LeBron James returned to the franchise. However, since both James and Kyrie Irving left the team, he’s the lone remaining member of their Big 3.

Though Love has been involved in trade rumors since his inaugural season in Cleveland, he’s never shown a real desire to leave the team. He represents loyalty and sacrifice, which is as much of a reason for Cavs fans to love him as it is his teammates to look at him as an example.

On the court, Love will be the team’s go-to option.

He’ll get fed in the low-post, make plays from the high-post, knock down his threes and take slower or smaller defenders off-the-dribble.

Skill and intelligence are the hallmarks of his offensive game and, with capable playmakers in Sexton, Hood and Osman beside him, he’ll receive some good looks from passes in the pick-and-roll and entry passes in the post.

Center Larry Nance Jr.: 25-years-old and entering his fourth pro season.

Like Hood, the Cavs traded for Nance Jr. in February. However, Nance Jr. (along with Jordan Clarkson) was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers as the Cavs did what they could to remove Isaiah Thomas’ toxicity from the locker room.

Nance Jr., the son of former Cavaliers power forward Larry Nance (a three-time All-Star and 1984 Slam Dunk champion), is viewed as a cornerstone player by the Cavs. Offensively, Nance is capable of stretching the floor out to the midrange (perhaps the three-point range with work) and his insane leaping ability makes him one of the most dangerous rollers in the NBA.

Defensively, though Nance’s slight frame can be a hinderance against larger centers, he’s an alert defender who has a knack for disrupting passing lanes with his length and activity. Further, while he’s not an elite shot-blocker, he has the best shot-blocking potential of any current Cavs player.

Those five, who will have an average age of 24.4-years-old, will be flanked by Hill, Clarkson, Smith, Kyle Korver and Tristan Thompson in the second unit. A veteran group, the Cavs could have one of the better benches in the NBA.