Cleveland Cavaliers: Three reasons for disappointing loss to the Magic

Reason #3 – roster rotations

It’s simply time for a shakeup to the Cavaliers’ rotations. The rotations they are using clearly aren’t working as the team is just 1-11 over their last 12 games after starting the season out at 4-5.

While rookie wing Kevin Porter Jr. hasn’t been otherworldly this season, he has shown that when he gets extended minutes, he gets in a rhythm and plays much better than when he plays in four or five-minute stretches.

Although Porter Jr. had a +/- of -12 tonight, he was one of the more productive and efficient Cavaliers on the offensive end of the floor. He had 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting and 2-for-4 from three while adding 4 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action according to ESPN’s official box score.

Simply put, Porter Jr. needs to be elevated into the starting lineup. Coach Beilein needs to shake things up to see if he can light a spark.

Add that to the fact that if Cavaliers’ rookie point guard Darius Garland was a late first-round or even a second-round pick, he’s probably not seeing the court with his current level of play. Perhaps moving Garland to a bench role will help motivate him a little more.

Adding Porter Jr. to the starting lineup also gives the Cavaliers a little more size on the defensive end which would help their defense as they would be able to match up in the backcourt a little better.

The Cavaliers have an absolutely brutal stretch coming up. The Cavaliers’ next six games are against the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Toronto Raptors. Those six teams have a combined record of 88-42. They will need to play their best basketball or they very easily could be staring at a 5-22 record after starting the season 4-5. It might be wise for coach Beilein to make these changes now because what they are currently using from a rotation standpoint, clearly isn’t working.