3 potential experimental lineups Cavs could use next season
By Mason Cole
The future of the Cleveland Cavaliers is currently clouded by uncertainty. Free agency and the upcoming draft are still a ways out, and we’ll have to see as far as lineups go.
At this moment, there is not much certainty regarding the Cleveland Cavaliers organization.
That sense of unpredictability can be found in the Cavs roster as well. Cleveland’s roster boasts an abundance of youth. Players such as Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr. and Dylan Windler among others who still have plenty to prove.
They also have veterans such as Andre Drummond, Tristan Thompson, and Mathew Dellavedova, who all have the opportunity to test the free agent market. Drummond, though, is reportedly highly likely to pick up his $28.8 million player option for next season.
But in some ways, this sense of uncertainty surrounding the Cavaliers could be viewed as a positive. When considering potential lineups that the Cavaliers could deploy in the 2020-21 season, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff will likely throw some abnormal pairings on the court.
Per a report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor last week, it was stated that Bickerstaff wants to experiment with different lineups during the Cavaliers in-market bubble team workouts/scrimmaging. And according to Fedor, could range from anything like Larry Nance Jr. at the small forward position to three-guard lineups featuring Garland, Sexton and Porter Jr.
Along with that, Bickerstaff stressed how the Cavs will be experimenting on Wednesday, and this would seemingly relate to them doing so next season, via Forbes‘ Evan Dammarell.
The #Cavs are indeed doing lineup experimentation per J.B. Bickerstaff.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) September 23, 2020
The big lineup is back, folks.
Swinging back, the Cavaliers roster has youth, athleticism, and capable three-point shooters, making experimental lineups feasible. Whether it be big lineups or small lineups, the Cavaliers have the players on their roster to make experimental lineups possible.
But what type of lineups could we see from the Cavaliers in the upcoming NBA season?
Here, I’ll examine the possibilites with three experimental lineups that I believe the Cleveland Cavaliers could consider using next season.
We’ll get started with a particularly intriguing one right off the bat.