The Cleveland Cavaliers have a lot of things to figure out this season. They certainly have some things to build on from last season, but after a blockbuster trade for a new star and some new faces off of the bench, the coaching staff has some work to do to get everything humming.
One key question is what the rotation is going to look like. The Cavs have four stars, then a drop-off to a deep bench with little stratification. As many as 13 Cavs can make a legitimate case to play double-digit minutes next season, and the 14th is a wing in Dylan Windler who would be a perfect player for the Cavs if he could stay healthy and put things together.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are rebuilding their rotation this season. Going two by two can help the Cavs put together the best possible plan for 2022-23
Crafting a rotation from the ground up may seem daunting…and yes, it probably is. But the best way to tackle a big problem is to break it up into manageable pieces. You don’t paint a masterpiece all at once; you go one color at a time. By taking the rotation in smaller pieces, J.B. Bickerstaff and the coaching staff can build a Cleveland work of art.
The Cavs can keep in mind certain lineups they want to deploy, but the real trick is to go two by two. Identifying which player pairings work best together, and then assembling from there a starting lineup, bench and method of attack for staggering the four stars to maximize the talent this team has. That starts with splitting the stars into two pairs.
Building the Cavs rotation 2×2: Splitting the stars
The Cavaliers’ starting lineup features four bona fide star players. Jarrett Allen is a defensive force inside, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell can pass, shoot and score, and Evan Mobley is a defensive wunderkind and a budding offensive hub. The Cavs will start and close games with these four.
Yet in between, it doesn’t make sense for the Cavs to hold those four together and bring on a bench mob. Both Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland have overlapping skill sets — they can be complementary, but they also can carry an offense alone. It’s similar for Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, with both bringing elite rim protection to the court.
Who pairs with whom? For Mitchell, it’s all new, as his chemistry with these players began just a few weeks ago. His time in Utah suggests he would thrive with a rolling big like Allen, and that’s probably true, but Garland and Allen have formed a special bond and Garland is without question a better lob passer than Mitchell, if only because he is one of the top three or four such passers in the league. Garland and Allen should be paired together.
That puts Mitchell and Mobley together. Offensively they can run more diverse screening actions, or Mobley can handle at the post and Mitchell can operate off-ball. Defensively Mobley’s defensive versatility allows him to better cover for Mitchell’s deficiencies in that area, with more options available for scheming to cover his weaknesses.
Building the Cavs rotation 2×2: The Old Wolves
With the core pairs in place, who will fill out around them? Obviously, injuries and other absences will lead to tinkering, but we’re trying to craft the base rotation here. Let’s look at the pairing of Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. Who should play with them? Ideally, it would involve a second shooter and someone who can defend guards well.
That sounds like the Old Wolves on the team; that is, the two veterans who used to play together on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love are a dangerous combination, especially on offense where Love’s shooting opens space for Rubio to thread passes to open shooters and cutters.
Together Rubio and Love can provide versatility on defense for cross-matching. Rubio can take the tougher guard assignment, while Love and Mobley can cross-match with Mobley taking on the toughest big. Mitchell and Love are liabilities on defense, but that’s why they would play with the team’s best point guard and forward defenders.
Last season Rubio and Love shared the court for 429 minutes in 26 games. In that time all lineups with both players on the court had an 11.9 net rating — that is, they outscored opponents by an average of 11.9 points per 100 possessions. That was the third-highest output on the entire team. Interestingly enough, Rubio pairings made up the entire top-5; he was that impactful last season, and hopefully can be just as valuable this time around.
Building the Cavs rotation 2×2: LeVert and Wade
We’re almost done with the rotation led by Donovan Mitchell; who will come in with Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen? Here the key is a combo forward who can defend 3s and 4s; Allen is one of the best pure centers defending in space, but he is most valuable staying close to the rim. Garland, on the other hand, would be best paired with a backcourt partner with size and secondary ball-handling.
That looks like a job for Caris LeVert and Dean Wade. LeVert is a candidate to start but the Cavs would be much better off bringing him in off the bench. If the Cavs need to spend time with both Garland and Mitchell off the court LeVert is a decent fill-in, but he can also pair with Garland in the regular rotation.
LeVert’s play-making when teams take the ball out of Garland’s hands is valuable, as he can attack a shifted defense and either score or find teammates. He showed some chemistry with Jarrett Allen during the preseason and can run pick-and-rolls with Garland and Wade spotting up around them.
Wade is the perfect fit with Jarrett Allen. He can take on the more intimidating option at the 3 or 4 on the opposing side, and on offense is a solid enough shooter to space the floor around Allen. Limeups featuring both Allen and Wade played 435 minutes last season and held opponents to just a 103.7 offensive rating, one of the better marks on the team.
Building the Cavs rotation 2×2: Filling the hole
Finally, the two groups above need a fifth player. This spot is more fluid and can be swapped out from night to night depending on the matchups, but as a general baseline who should be in line to play with each group?
Let’s assume that Isaac Okoro is starting, which is probably the best option to balance the rest of the rotation and build toward the best lineup of the future. Given that his best skill is defense and he is specifically gifted at guarding backcourt players, he would fit best with the Darius Garland shift. He can be interchangeable with Caris LeVert on defense and that group can focus on a heliocentric look around DG similar to last season, with an elite defensive unit and Garland running the show. The benefit is that when teams trap Garland he will have a natural outlet in LeVert.
For the other grouping there are two intriguing options. The first is to go for a more natural 3-and-D option such as Cedi Osman. With Kevin Love or Evan Mobley handling from the elbow and Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell handling on the outside, Osman is free to lean into his inner movement-shooter and try to keep the floor wide open.
The other option is less orthodox and more interesting. Rubio, Mitchell, Mobley and Love could represent two guards and two bigs, or it could represent 1-4 in a jumbo lineup. Moving Mobley to small forward means you can add Robin Lopez into the game. That lineup has four players who are at least willing to shoot, making it more tenable, and Lopez can bring a lot of size to the table and between he and Love they would dominate the glass. The Cavs succeeded last season by going big; this would be another version of it.
Here’s what the final rotation would look like: the starting 5 of Garland, Mitchell, Okoro, Mobley and Allen beginning and ending each half. In between, there would be two groups centered around a star pairing. Dean Wade, Caris LeVert and Okoro would pair with Garland and Allen for the first shift; Mobley and Mitchell would take on Rubio, Love and Osman (or even Lopez!) for the second shift. 10 players, set roles, and the potential for a lot of chemistry to develop.
You’re welcome J.B.