The Cleveland Cavaliers have their starting lineup set in place. Evan Mobley will start at the 4 despite being a rookie, alongside Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro in the frontcourt. The Cavs will have Darius Garland run the point and Collin Sexton abuse defenses from the 2-guard position.
That group has an average age of around 21 years old, and has a couple of glaring weaknesses, specifically in terms of floor spacing. Many teams close with a different group than they start with. Could the Cavs be one of those teams?
The Cleveland Cavaliers need to determine the best mix of players to end games. Which Cavs are candidates to be in the closing lineup?
The roster goes 15 players deep, and perhaps if you squint the right way any could possibly find a case to close a game this season. Obviously most will end a game when you factor in blowouts, but we are talking about the Cavs’ best lineups to send out in close games. Not everyone is a candidate for those lineups.
Let’s go from least likely to most likely, a general survey of the roster and the different options the Cavs can come up with. For this exercise we are assuming every player is healthy; obviously the 15th man closes if enough guys ahead of him are injured. Sorry Tacko, but we start with you.