Going into 2022-23, who is the Cavs’ second-best rebounder?

Last season was a resurgent one for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who nearly made the postseason behind an often stingy defense, timely shooting and big-time contributions from Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

The Cavaliers had their share of issues in post-All-Star break play, somewhat because of youth, some related to injuries and other instances seemingly due to a lack of cohesion given constant reshuffling of lineups.

For the season in general, though, it was an encouraging one, and while the closing stretch wasn’t ideal, there’s plenty to be optimistic about leading into the 2022-23 campaign.

That being said, while Cleveland needs to iron out some things offensively, and they’ll need to find ways to find their most effective lineups and figure stuff out to get their 2 and 3 situation to work throughout games, one area is another Cleveland needs to be more consistent.

The Cavaliers did have their share of success when did have their tall-ball lineup regular guys involved, with Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen starting normally. That was part of the reason for Cleveland’s success, and I’d expect those three to have better chemistry this coming season, too.

But an area where the Cavaliers do need to improve is their rebounding consistency.

Even with the Cavs often playing three-big lineups, despite some of it resulting in those guys contesting a ton of shots, the Cavaliers do need to be in better positioning to rebound on the defensive glass game-to-game. Cleveland was 18th in defensive rebounding percentage, which is an area they should be better in this coming season, I believe.

For the team overall as far as rebounding, Jarrett Allen led the group with 10.8 boards per contest last year in a career year for him. There were still some games where he wasn’t as effective on the glass, however, and defensive rebounding positioning at times for him seems to be an aspect of his game he could be better.

He did still have plenty of outings where he was huge on the glass, on the plus side, and some inconsistencies could be attributed to him altering shots so frequently in the paint, too. I do still think Allen will lead Cleveland again this season ahead in rebounding, and he’ll continue to improve there as he gets more comfortable with other guys, and his offensive rebounding is big for the team.

So, in regards to other guys then, who would seem to be the second-best rebounder on the club heading into the new season?

While Evan Mobley and Lauri Markkanen hopefully get more on-point in that aspect, and others help, Kevin Love is the Cavs’ second-best rebounder for now heading into 2022-23.

For now, I’d have to go Kevin Love on that one. Even in a move to a supersub role last season, Love had 7.2 rebounds per game last season for the Cavaliers, in what was a bounce-back year for him where he finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Sure, Love’s best attribute at this point in his career is his catch-and-shoot play/deep shooting reputation. He connected on 39.2 percent of his deep ball attempts in 2021-22, and I’d expect to see him give the club a notable lift in that area in 2022-23, provided he can stay healthy in his bench minutes.

But, to me, Love’s defensive rebounding, in particular, is still very effective for Cleveland when is healthy, as he was last season, and him playing in a reduced role minutes-wise aided that aspect. Either way, Love had 6.1 defensive rebounds per contest in 22.5 minutes per outing last year, and he had 11.6 defensive rebounds per-36 minutes.

No, he’s not the guy he was earlier in his Cavs tenure or with the Minnesota Timberwolves in that realm. Still, his defensive glass cleaning is impressive when he’s in for the Cavaliers, and I don’t discount that in his role, and not to mention, Love’s efforts there have led to his share of touchdown pass deliveries to perimeter guys.

Now, though Mobley and Markkanen can both be more competent as defensive rebounders in their minutes to help maximize Cleveland’s tall-ball lineup, I will give both some slack, along with Allen, as all three did aid the team as a group contesting shots. For reference, Mobley had 8.3 rebounds per outing, and Markkanen had 5.7.

And Mobley, for one, looks to be a generational defensive playmaker, and nobody is suggesting Love is necessarily a key defensive piece, conversely.

Nonetheless, for now, the second-most impactful rebounder for the Cavaliers, with their role in mind, heading into the upcoming season at least, I’d say is Love. That’s not due to him being seventh in Cavs history in total rebounds, either.

Even with him set to turn 34 soon, and as a side note, a potential expiring trade candidate (in theory), Love’s glass cleaning may still be a bit underappreciated.