3 potential lineups the Cavs could use involving James Wiseman

Potential Cleveland Cavaliers lineup #2 involving Wiseman: Garland-Sexton-Cedi Osman-Larry Nance Jr.-Wiseman

This lineup would put a major emphasis on speed. With the ability that these five have to get out and run the floor, Wiseman’s potential in fastbreak situations would be massive.

Wiseman has the potential to be a great all-around center in the NBA, but we saw in flashes during his short time at Memphis that he can be an elite level rim-runner. With that in mind, in particular, putting his speed next to the fast play style of players such as Sexton and Garland could lead to plenty of scoring opportunities.

It would also be intriguing to see how Wiseman would fit next to Larry Nance Jr., who himself has developed into quite a unique player. During the 2019-20 season, Nance Jr. shot 2.8 triples a game, which was an increase from the 1.5 he shot per game in the 2018-19 NBA season. His three-point percentage also rose from 33.7 percent to 35.2 percent in this now-past season, from Cleveland’s standpoint, that is.

Nance Jr. shot more triples in 2019-20 and he spent more time as a ball-handler and occasionally a play facilitator, and he even dabbled in playing some time at the small forward position post-All-Star break after Bickerstaff took over the head coaching reigns. Nance Jr. has a unique skillset that could fit nicely playing next to the super athletic and lengthy Wiseman. In this potential Cavs lineup, Nance Jr. would make plays with the basketball in his hands while Wiseman would do work in off-ball situations.

With this lineup, the question arises again of how will Wiseman handle the added pressure on defense? Sexton and Garland were a terrible backcourt defensively, Osman is far from an elite defender and Nance Jr. has faced his own defensive issues as well, albeit his team defensive instincts do help to an extent.

Yet again, Wiseman would all but need to carry the Cavaliers defense. That is a lot to ask from a player who only played three college games and will be a raw prospect on both sides of the ball.

But this lineup could be really nice in terms of fastbreak scoring, and Nance Jr. and Wiseman could be a solid frontcourt duo. No matter what lineup the Cavaliers utilize next season, defense will likely be a problem, and that should not stop Bickerstaff from experimenting with a lineup such as this one.