Cavs: 3 potential lineups to try out with Ben Simmons

Cavs: 3 potential lineups try out with Ben Simmons – Point Center

Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Dylan Windler, Lauri Markkanen, Ben Simmons

This might be the most fun lineup that the Cavs could trot out with Ben Simmons. Something the 76ers very rarely tried with Simmons was putting him at center and surrounding him with perimeter talent. They stubbornly clung to a traditional backup center, whether that was Dwight Howard, Greg Monroe or Boban Marjanovic.

Simmons is not an elite rim protector as a small-ball five — he’s not Draymond Green, for example — but he has the size and strength at 6’11” to man the position and he’s an elite defender in just about every other way. Only the largest of centers would give him trouble one-on-one, and he is just as likely to pick their pocket as get scored upon.

Teams would also struggle to play their plodding centers against this group, because they would positively fly. Simmons in the open court surrounded by four shooters is a deadly combination in transition.

It would excel in the halfcourt as well, because teams could hardly pack the paint against four of the Cavs’ very best shooters. If Lauri Markkanen comes up and sets a pick-and-pop screen for Simmons, who is protecting the rim? Play a drop scheme and Markkanen has an open shot, one he will absolutely knock down. Blitz and Simmons is barreling to the rim against a smaller defender in a scramble position. Slide help over and Simmons is brilliant at hitting the corner shooter.

Ben Simmons is far from a lock to be on the Cavs next season, and it’s not clear whether the cost for such a trade would be worth a player as difficult to build around as Simmons. What this piece tries to illustrate is that even with his lack of shooting, lineups built around him can have significant strengths. If Simmons does come to Cleveland, there are some exciting ways to deploy him.