3 potential Cavs lineups involving 2020 NBA Draft prospect Devin Vassell
By Corey Casey
Potential Cleveland Cavaliers Vassell lineup #1: Darius Garland-Collin Sexton-Vassell-Kevin Love-Andre Drummond
It certainly sounds like the Cavs will probably give the Darius Garland–Collin Sexton backcourt another try next season.
If you’re going to have that starting backcourt you’re probably going to continue to have defensive issues next year, so they’ll need to start surrounding them with wings that are able to defend and be heady off-ball to cover up some of the weaknesses. The 6-foot-7 Vassell fits that mold at the 3 spot, and had 1.4 steals per game in 2019-20, and his anticipation in passing lanes could really help Cleveland’s guards.
Although Sexton with more experience will be better equipped to defend 2’s, anyhow, you would hope. Sexton also has added a considerable amount of good weight this offseason, which should pay off for him on-ball defensively.
Obviously Kevin Love has never been known as someone that is a defensive stopper, but is still a very productive offensive player that hit 37.4 percent of his career-high 7.0 three-point attempts per outing during this now-past season and is an important veteran.
Andre Drummond, who is reportedly highly likely to pick up his $28.8 million player option, meanwhile, is one of the league’s best rebounders and has good team defensive instincts. But is he a switchout big defensively?
No, but Drummond’s activity on the interior should aid the others here, and leading into the league’s novel coronavirus-induced hiatus, he was actually second in the Association in total steals.
Albeit looking back at the perimeter, right now the Cavs arguably have the worst wing situation in the league. They don’t really have anyone that can guard premier players out there, and Cedi Osman, in particular, has really struggled in that regard.
Devin Vassell is someone that at the very least gives them a presence defensively on the wing and can knock down perimeter shots, so it wouldn’t really hurt the spacing, either. Vassell’s pull-up shooting capability would aid the Wine and Gold, too, and more so in late-clock situations.
Anyway, I don’t think the Cavs making the playoffs next year is something that’s realistic. There’s still a ton of youth on the team, a roster that’s oddly constructed and that’d be just too much of a leap in one year.
I’m not sure the Garland-Sexton backcourt is something that will work long-term, but if they are all in on it this is something that would help them succeed. With Garland further removed from the meniscus injury he suffered in college and clearly having looked fully ready to roll in Cavs in-market bubble team workouts/scrimmaging, and with more experience, he should be better.
I also expect Sexton, Cleveland’s 2019-20 leading scorer at 20.8 points per outing and who again looks stronger going into year 3, will continue to improve. As I noted, any time you’re going to have Garland and Sexton in the backcourt, you’ll have some defensive deficiencies, but Vassell would certainly help.