Cavs: Do they have a better starting lineup than the Pistons?

Better starting lineup: Cavs or Pistons? – Advantages for Cleveland

The Cavs have an instant advantage over the Pistons by means of NBA experience. The Pistons are starting a rookie and three sophomores, one of which played in just 26 games last season. Other than Jerami Grant their starting lineup is incredibly green.

While still quite young, the Cavs’ starters have a lot more appearances under their belt. They have a rookie in Evan Mobley, yes, but their second-year player Isaac Okoro played 1,500 more minutes than Hayes last year. Darius Garland has 113 games in his ledger, while Collin Sexton has played in 207.

That production also shows up in the scoring column. Jerami Grant’s career high in scoring is 22.3 points per game. Saddiq Bey’s is 12.2. Collin Sexton averaged 24.3 per game last season, and Garland’s 17.4 last season makes him a viable secondary scoring threat. Cade Cunningham could absolutely step in as a prolific scoring threat, but he hasn’t proven yet if that’s going to be a strength of his.

Perhaps surprisingly for fans of the Cavs the last few years, they also likely have an advantage defensively. Jarrett Allen is an elite rim-protector, and paired with Mobley they should form one of the better defensive frontcourts in the league as the rook steps into his own. Isaiah Stewart is a solid defender but he’s undersized at 6’8″ and just doesn’t protect the rim to that extent, while Jerami Grant has let his defense erode as he focused on his offensive game. On the wing, Isaac Okoro is the best defender of all six options, while Killian Hayes is probably the worst of the group.