Cavs: Evan Mobley brings back the potential for an effective ‘death’ lineup

Selecting Evan Mobley with the third overall pick not only helped to accelerate the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ rebuild but, gives them a unique big man that will improve the team’s creativity on both sides of the ball. Having guard-like abilities as a 7-footer is unparalleled with very few being able to do such things.

Creating mismatches at different positions is crucial to success in the league as perimeter-skilled bigs help maximize versatility, spacing, and offense on NBA teams. Over the last decade or so, as offense became more and more about spacing, teams have looked to create lineups that maximize all three. These lineups have been donned “death lineups.”

Starting a decade or so back, the Boston Celtics would run Kevin Garnett at center, helping to maximize the team’s success. The Los Angeles Lakers had Pau Gasol run center after he was primarily a power forward with the Memphis Grizzlies and this helped them win multiple championships. Finally, the Miami Heat with LeBron James had Chris Bosh run center which helped them win multiple championships as well.

In fact, it was LeBron’s Heat that really jumpstarted the “death” lineup era and soon after, we would see efficient teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Lakers, Toronto Raptors, and Milwaukee Bucks look to create their own “death” lineups and moves like that helped these teams win rings.

The Cavaliers have attempted their own versions of death lineups with players like Kevin Love and Channing Frye playing center at times as their shooting helped to open up the offense for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

The issue with those at center as opposed to other “death” lineups we have seen was the lack of defense. Due to this, the Cavs’ “death” lineups weren’t as good as some other top teams, often times sacrificing defense with Love and shooting with Tristan Thompson.

Now, with Mobley, the possibility for an effective “death” lineup returns. With his ability to effectively play on the perimeter and facilitate, even as a grab-and-go threat, paired with his rim protection with limited error, he makes for an ideal “death” lineup center.

Mobley is the key to a potential “death” lineup for the Cavs.

Looking at what the rest of this potential death lineup could look like depends on matchups. The other staples include Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, the duo from which a large chunk of the team’s offense will come. The forward positions make the lineup conversations interesting as different players can offer different things.

Considering the lack of wing depth and perimeter defense on the roster, Isaac Okoro also seems like a must to be included in the “death” lineup with the only concern being his shooting. To counter that statement, Okoro has reportedly been working especially hard on his jump shot so there is a potential of a Year 2 jump in this area.

Lastly, we will look at the second forward position. Depending on matchups and team wants, we could see either Larry Nance Jr. or Kevin Love occupy this spot. To further elaborate, in situations where the team would want to focus on defense, Nance Jr. could play that spot and if the focus is on offense, the team could play Love in that spot.

With how positionless basketball is currently, the Cavaliers could even run Okoro at the power forward position despite his height, taking his strength into account. This could open up the opportunity for Dylan Windler, Cedi Osman, or a possible wing acquisition to fill the other forward spot as the idea of this particular lineup is to maximize spacing.

Whatever the Cavs look to do, just having the potential for an effective, fun “death” lineup is great for the team as they look to compete once again. With how young the roster is, it would take years for the lineup to reach its peak effectiveness but on the bright side, it gives them time to look for other options at the forward positions for improvements if need be.

All in all, fans of the Wine and Gold should be excited about having Mobley as he will make things exciting for the team and it won’t be long until the team competes for a playoff berth.