3 reasons Lauri Markkanen should start for the Cavs at small forward

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Lauri Markkanen, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images /

“You shouldn’t mess with a good thing.”

“Never rest until your good is better and your better is best.”

Two adages purporting to be good advice…and yet also contradictory. They represent the two primary paths ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers in crafting their starting lineup for the 2022-23 NBA season.

The Cavs know they will start Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. There are a whopping five options to start at shooting guard. What the coaching staff has to decide is whether to stay the course at small forward and start Lauri Markkanen once again, or go in a more creative direction.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have to decide whether or not to continue starting Lauri Markkanen, or to try someone new. Why should the Cavs choose Lauri?

The Cavs could acquire another player to start at the 3, but that seems unlikely at this point in the offseason. They could get crazy and start Caris LeVert to juice the offensive creation, or Ochai Agbaji to get the rookie’s feet wet as they did for Isaac Okoro two seasons ago. Let’s assume for now that they have discarded those longshot options and are choosing between two players.

Should the Cavs start Lauri Markkanen or Dean Wade at small forward? The other day we made the case for Wade; let’s pivot to Markkanen now. Why should the Cavaliers start Markkanen again at the 3? Here are three reasons why.