Cleveland Cavaliers: Three potential lineups to watch next season
Potential lineup #1: Sexton-Porter-Windler-Obi Toppin-Love
Going into this season, the hope is that Garland and Sexton could operate together as the Cavaliers’ backcourt of the future. While that duo improved as the season went on, there still are questions about if the pairing will work.
Using Sexton and Porter together may be a more viable option for the Cavaliers’ starting lineup moving forward. In the last full month of the season pre-hiatus, Porter truly started to show off his potential.
The rookie from USC averaged 13.5 points while connecting on 37.8 percent of his three-point shots, as documented by NBA.com. The playmaking ability of the backcourt would be one of the better young duos in the league.
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While Cedi Osman has done an alright job as the Cavaliers starting forward, there is room for improvement at that position. Add in a more higher ceiling shooter, like Windler, who averaged 21.3 points, while connecting on 42.9 percent of his three-point shots as a senior at Belmont, per Sports Reference.
Winder, though he will need to bulk up a bit to handle the more physical nature of the NBA, also is an excellent rebounder for his position. As a senior in college, he grabbed 10.8 rebounds and is has great timing in that realm. Of course, Windler needs to get more comfortable and adjust to the NBA game; he has not played at all in what was going to formally be his rookie year due to complications involving a stress reaction in his left leg.
In this scenario, the Cavaliers draft Dayton forward Obi Toppin, who was the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year in 2020. Toppin, at 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, would fit into this Cavaliers’ lineup well. In his final season at Dayton, Toppin scored 20.0 points per game, while also connecting on 39.0 percent of his three-point shots. Toppin is a strong finisher and could benefit from playing with two guards who draw a lot of attention.
To round out the lineup, veteran Kevin Love would play the stretch five. While Love is not touted for his defense, this lineup with him in the middle would give the Cavaliers five players who can step outside and hit a three-pointer.
Also, pairing Love (averaging 9.8 rebounds this season) with a strong rebounder in Windler and solid rebounder in Toppin (7.5 rebounds as a sophomore) would surely improve the Cavaliers’ rebounding, which is currently ranked 20th this season.