3 potential closing lineups for the Cavs in 2022-23 season
By Will Holtz
Potential Cavs closing unit No. 2: Spacing/playmaking
If the Cavs are facing a sizeable deficit entering the final minutes of the game, I wouldn’t mind seeing a spacing unit try to shoot their way back into a game. This lineup would include Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Kevin Love, and Evan Mobley.
While some of these players might not be able to knock down threes at a high level, they are at least good enough from deep to where defenders need to respect them on the perimeter. With Kevin Love drifting out to the corner and Evan Mobley being able to come up for pick-and-rolls or pick-and-pops, this would create either an open driving lane or a perfect kickout opportunity for capable shooters when the defender comes to help.
This lineup features two big men who can set solid screens and roll to the basket or pop out to the mid-range or farther. It also features three guards who can take the screen and finish at the rim or make plays with their passing.
As mentioned before, a lineup like this should be deployed when the team is looking to get back in the game, not hold a lead. The defense takes a big hit with LeVert replacing Okoro and Love replacing Allen. However, those players wouldn’t give the team as good of a chance to shoot their way back.
While Caris LeVert doesn’t light it up from three consistently, he has shown the ability to be a very streaky shooter and can fill it up in a number of ways. At the end of the third quarter in the 2022 Play-In game against the Atlanta Hawks, he hit back-to-back threes, giving the team some signs of life after losing their lead late.
A spark like that could very well win a ball game this season. While looking at shooting percentages and other statistics might tell you something about a player, the eye test can really tell you what kind of player they are and what they bring to the table. Caris LeVert can give the team a spark when all hope seems to be lost. That’s the kind of player I want on the court at the end of the game in this sort of scenario.