Could Cavs play Mobley at the 3? It’s so crazy it just might work

Could Cavs play Mobley at the 3? Defense

Let’s continue the analysis from there. If the Cavs do play Kevin Love and Evan Mobley as the two forwards, what would their defensive approach be like? Last year the Cavs tried out a number of different looks throughout the regular season, from drop to switching to a hyper-aggressive and effective 3-2 zone with Mobley at the point of attack. Mobley did a little bit of everything, and he did it well.

The difference this year would be that Mobley has to slide up to guard small forwards. Last year Lauri Markkanen stretched himself in taking on those assignments and did an adequate job. Can Mobley do better, or at least well enough to make this alignment work?

Working in Mobley’s favor are his combination of quick feet, smooth hips and significant arm length. He proved more than capable of sliding out to the perimeter and hanging with smaller players; he wasn’t immune to being blown by, but when he was he often stuck with the play and contested, or blocked, from behind.

The Cavs should be able to deploy their 3-2 zone once again, with Kevin Love and Jarrett Allen (or even Robin Lopez) down on either block. He envelops the middle of the court and makes it nearly impossible for teams to run their primary sets.

The difficulty here is that the Cavs will have a weak spot in their frontcourt; Kevin Love is a worse defender than Lauri Markkanen was last year, so even with him at power forward this defense will be stretched more than it was last year. Would a group with Isaac Okoro or Dean Wade at the 3 be better defensively? Probably, but neither player is bringing the offensive firepower that Love is.