Cavs: Ranking starters at every position in Central Division

Cavs: Ranking starters at every position in Central Division – Center

5. Isaiah Stewart

The Detroit Pistons will start one rookie and three players taken in the 2020 NBA Draft this past November. That’s a lot of youth for one team, and it likely means Isaiah Stewart will have a short hook to the bench, putting pressure on him to play well early and often. The burly big can bowl his way into a crowd and either score or rebound inside. Defensively he shows flashes but needs to put it all together.

4. Jarrett Allen

The Cavs paid $100 million to bring back Jarrett Allen, who is certainly a talented player that knows his role well. He is going to protect the rim, set hard screens and dive to the rim. When a shot is up he goes for the rebound. It’s a simple formula, but effective. The problem is that Allen won’t become something more than a somewhat-better-version-of-this; he’s not a star, and he won’t hit outside shots or create his own offense like a couple of players still on the list.

3. Brook Lopez

The Milwaukee Bucks spent time last season learning to be flexible, getting reps in zone defense or a switching scheme, and they deployed some of everything across their playoff run. Lopez won’t play every minute for the Bucks, but when he does play he’s every bit the necessary ingredient to help this team score at a high rate. He stretches the floor on offense and defensively he is one of the league’s premier rim protectors.

2. Nikola Vucevic

The Chicago Bulls decided to go “all-in” over the past few months, making a blockbuster trade at the deadline and following it up by adding multiple pieces this summer. Vucevic is the second star the Bulls hope to elevate them into contention, a dynamic offensive 5 who spaces the court and was stuck in purgatory in Orlando. He should have a great scoring year, but the question is whether the Bulls can survive playing him with DeRozan defensively.

1. Myles Turner

Myles Turner has blossomed into a two-way player who fits his role perfectly, walling off the paint defensively and shooting willingly from the outside. The fit in Indiana isn’t ideal, and the Pacers (or another team) could benefit from pairing Turner with a large wing instead of a “small” forward. For now the All-Defense candidate will continue to play his role well.

Looking at the starting lineups as a whole, it’s completely unsurprising that the Milwaukee Bucks have the best group in the Central Division. What is more surprising is that even after all of their offseason activity the Chicago Bulls slot behind the Indiana Pacers as the third-best starting lineup. The Cleveland Cavaliers are young, but the Detroit Pistons are extremely young and have the worst group of starter for now.