Cavs: 3 lineups coach J.B. Bickerstaff should use this season

3 lineups coach J.B. Bickerstaff should use: Lockdown Unit

Collin Sexton – Isaac Okoro – Larry Nance Jr. – Evan Mobley – Jarrett Allen

The Cavaliers have a number of high-level defenders on the roster, but most of them are bigs. The versatility of Larry Nance Jr. could allow Bickerstaff to slip him onto the court as the small forward in certain matchups, giving the Cavs a truly fearsome combination.

Jarrett Allen is a solid rim protector, a player most comfortable dropping back into the paint. If he paired with Evan Mobley and Nance in the frontcourt then their long arms and defensive instincts will eat up nearly all of the space inside the arc. If Allen is pulled into pick-and-roll coverage either Nance or Mobley could easily slide over as weakside rim protection.

Isaac Okoro is another excellent defensive weapon to deploy at the 2 in this lineup. With Nance able to take the best forward scoring threat it frees Okoro up to defend where he is most comfortable, taking on another backcourt player. Facing the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks? Nance is able to check Khris Middleton, allowing Okoro to play Jrue Holiday. The Brooklyn Nets? Nance takes Kevin Durant, and Okoro can take on James Harden. There are difficult assignments, but everyone is in a more natural place defensively.

Ricky Rubio would be the obvious choice for a “defense only” lineup, but someone in this group will need to create offense. Collin Sexton may not be a good defender at this point in his career but he plays hard, which will acquit him well with this kind of backline defensive support. On offense he can create reasonable shots by himself, hopefully well enough for the defensive shutdown to balance things out. Sexton once played 3-on-5 in a college basketball game and still put up points, so he is the obvious pick in the “Lockdown” group of five.