Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 takeaways from Game 2 win versus Boston Celtics

Takeaway #1: The backup bigs could be the x-factor this season

Cleveland will have a number of contributors at the 4 and 5 positions. Obviously, the offense runs through Kevin Love at the 4 spot, and Tristan Thompson should be better this year as he’s healthier.

Larry Nance Jr. will be starting when Cleveland is matched up against more skilled and less physical centers, and he has a clear role in Cleveland’s rotation. The real boost could come from Ante Zizic, Sam Dekker and at times Billy Preston when they play significant minutes in games.

As a traditional center that is not always a tremendous fit in today’s switching league, Zizic’s playing time will be matchup-dependent. That being said, when he is in games, he can be a big threat on the offensive end.

With his combination of size carving out space and ever-improving skill when it comes to rolling and in the post, Zizic is always going to be efficient in his minutes.

Even with it being a preseason game, the Celtics are a great defensive team, and Zizic had a game-high 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting and was 6-of-6 from the foul line in 22 minutes. He also had four offensive rebounds and had a plus-minus of +5.

If there are opposing backup 5’s that are predominantly rolling threats or if Nance or Thompson are banged up, giving Zizic some time in meaningful action is a good move this year.

Dekker is a player that probably won’t be nearly as efficient or consistent as Zizic, but he’s a good athlete that can make splash plays and get Cleveland momentum. He bounced back from a pedestrian at best performance Tuesday night to having a good outing Saturday night.

Dekker had seven points on 3-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and a steal in 19 minutes; he ended the night being a +12 with the starting unit alongside Nance.

This play was pretty nice, too. Down goes Tatum! Down goes Tatum!

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1048730958998847488

Preston will have impact on the game when he gets more comfortable. He had five points on 2-of-8 shooting and five rebounds in 21 minutes, but he’s just getting his NBA feet wet.

He’ll be fine, and Love is a good mentor for the youngster considering both of their games’ are predicated on perimeter shooting. When Preston gets more chemistry playing with Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton, he’ll get more open shots.

When you factor in what Cleveland will usually get from Clarkson, Sexton, Hill, Kyle Korver and David Nwaba, a couple other bigs making things happen could go a long way.

The second takeaway was clear: Cedi Osman is the best passer on this team.