Cavs: In some matchups, the bigs can simply wear down opponents

The bigs for the Cleveland Cavaliers will be able to wear down opponents in some matchups, and in this upcoming road trip, that could happen, too.

After home wins over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday and the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers should be feeling pretty good about themselves. The group has hung tough in plenty of stretches of games and often shorthanded post-All-Star break, and now, the Cavs look to keep up their better play in their upcoming six-game road trip and improve on their 19-45 record.

Overall, the Cavaliers have played with more energy and seem to be playing more team-first on both ends post-All-Star, of which J.B. Bickerstaff took over at head coach.

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The Cavs are 5-5 in that span, and while some instances have been fortunate ones, such as the Philadelphia 76ers being without Ben Simmons and mostly without Joel Embiid, it’s clear that Cleveland is more bought in at this point than they were when John Beilein was the team’s head coach, as was detailed by Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.

Anyhow, a key takeaway to me lately has been that in some matchups, the bigs for Cleveland can simply wear down opponents.

Since Bickerstaff has taken over, the Cleveland Cavaliers have not had a huge change in terms of rebounding percentage.

Cleveland in ninth in rebounding percentage on the 2019-20 season, and post-All-Star break, they are eighth in that category, as indicated by NBA.com.

Cleveland did not have Andre Drummond in five of the Cavs’ previous six games going into Sunday, though, due to a left calf strain.

Plus, Tristan Thompson missed three games due to a left knee contusion, and Alfonzo McKinnie, a particularly active wing rebounder, had been out for an extended period due to him dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot and he recently returned versus Denver.

Thompson only played eight minutes in Cleveland’s last game against the Spurs due to a right eye injury, but I’d imagine the medical staff will resolve that issue within the next few games, given that reports haven’t come out about anything serious at this juncture, though precaution must be exercised, of course.

Moreover, with Bickerstaff in some matchups not hesitating to even put Larry Nance Jr. at the 3 with Kevin Love and either TT or Drummond, it’s shown the capability of wearing opponents down to some degree and the Cavs have gotten key extra possessions.

I still don’t love Larry a ton at the 3, but to contextualize, Cleveland has a net rating of 58.3 in 20 minutes with a Darius Garland–Kevin Porter Jr.-Nance-Love-TT lineup, according to NBA.com. The majority of that was against the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat, though, and plus, Garland (is dealing with a left groin strain and KPJ is out indefinitely with him being in the NBA’s concussion protocol.

A lineup that I could realistically keep seeing in Cleveland’s next slate of games at the Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks and especially small Houston Rockets consists of Matthew Dellavedova–Collin Sexton-Nance-Love-Drummond, though.

That group could help on to James Harden and Russell Westbrook with their length, and punish Houston at the other end and get free throws on account of Dellavedova’s playmaking, Love and/or Drummond post-ups and Sexton’s budding ability to change speeds.

The Spurs didn’t have LaMarcus Aldridge (shoulder) on Sunday, but that lineup and the three bigs gobbling things up on the interior and Love/Nance’s playmaking/perimeter shooting led to a net rating of 32.5 and an assist rate of 37.5.

There was a 16.0 percent turnover rate, but Sexton had seven giveaways in the game off of a rough handling game, often by being hounded by Dejounte Murray, and some were in that stretch.

At any rate, when the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing certain matchups against teams that are not going to be nearly as deep/physical in regards to bigs, they will be able to wear teams, such as Atlanta or Houston, out, if the Wine and Gold stick to that and are moving the ball to take advantage of early and mid-clock seals. Keep in mind, the Cavs are seventh in the NBA in assist rate post-All-Star, too.

Though Cleveland was without Drummond as an interior defensive presence/rolling threat versus Denver, Thompson and company held Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap to 16 points and nine rebounds combined, as noted by ESPN. Jokic had eight assists, but the physicality of Thompson and Cleveland’s swarming defense in the second half, combined with Sexton’s efficient scoring and Delly’s career-high 14 assists led to a win.

In some matchups, including in some instances with Cedi Osman at the 2 a brief bit, the bigs for the Cleveland Cavaliers can simply wear out smaller and/or less physical opponents with relentless rebounding, quality big-to-big passing and heady defensive play off the ball from Nance, Drummond/TT and even Love, who will take charges.

With Drummond, TT and/or Nance’s offensive rebounding and rolling presence feasibly causing rotations to come just a tad slower, it’s not shocking that Love’s been able to get his share of late-game perimeter looks, too, of which he’s been able to bury of late, such as here in Sunday’s OT victory.

Additionally, in that win over San Antonio, Cleveland had 60 rebounds (and were plus-16 in that department), and had four players that had double-doubles in Drummond, Love, Nance and Dellavedova. It was the first time that happened for a Cavs team since 1990, when Hot Rod Williams, Mark Price, Larry Nance and Brad Daugherty did), according to Cavs Notes.

While Thompson is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and could seemingly be playing elsewhere, Love could feasibly be traded this summer and Drummond could potentially opt out of his $28.8 million player option, perhaps Love and Drummond are back after forming a budding chemistry in this last part of the season.

Or if that’s not the case, maybe in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Cavs could look to gradually replace Love. That’s if they don’t go with or have the chance at a wing such as prospects LaMelo Ball, previously of the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks, Deni Avdija of Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv of the I-BSL, or Auburn’s Isaac Okoro.

Cleveland could select bouncy USC big Onyeka Okongwu or Dayton’s Obi Toppin, a superb athlete and potential floor spacer as a developmental Love replacement, and still have one of those two, Drummond (if he opts in, really and then they’ll have an expiring trade chip), and Nance as three tough bigs on both ends.

Anyway, it’s clear that Bickerstaff is going to do what it takes to be competitive, including go with three bigs if that’s sensible in meaningful stretches, and also keep getting the young perimeter pieces big minutes.

That optimal use of the pieces at his disposal is really encouraging for what hopefully lies ahead in the near future for Bickerstaff and the Cavs.