Two studs and duds from Cavs’ win last night over the Heat

Dud: Donovan Mitchell (Kind Of) & Frontcourt Depth

This is a rare occurrence given how well he has played this season, and may not happen again, but Donovan Mitchell was a bit of a dud last night. Granted, he was 5-of-12 from the field and still had 13 points, but that’s far from his 30+ PPG average. His shot just wasn’t falling, as he only connected on two of his seven three-point attempts. However, he didn’t force it, and the Cavs cruised to an easy win. His effort on the defensive end was pretty good as well, picking up two steals. It wasn’t his best game, but if we’re being honest it wasn’t really a dud either.

With Kevin Love missing last night’s game, for the first time in a long time, the frontcourt may have some depth issues. Now, we don’t know how long Kevin Love will be out, and Bickerstaff did say he expected him back sooner rather than later, but last night wasn’t great. Jarrett Allen only had six points and was oddly absent on the glass. Evan Mobley was great and finished with a double-double. However, behind those two, it’s pretty thin.

With Love and Dean Wade out right now, the Cavaliers’ backup frontcourt players are Robin Lopez and Evan’s brother Isaiah. The latter can still grow to be a good rotation player, but he’s not ready for that level quite yet. On the other end of the spectrum, Robin Lopez has been a great addition to the locker room, but he’s an aging, slow big man on the court. If these injuries persist, the Cavs must look for some rotational help before the playoffs. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Cavs were in the market for a big come the trade deadline.

Overall, a win is a win no matter who it was against. In this case, it was against a bad and injured Miami Heat team, but it’s still a big win. The Heat will take their talents, or lack thereof, to Minnesota to face another struggling squad in the Timberwolves on Monday night. The Cavs, on the other hand, will suit back up again tonight versus the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

It’s not time to sound the alarm on the frontcourt depth, but it’s starting to look perilously thin and that stood out on Sunday. Hopefully, Love can be back shortly, and the Cavs are able to see growth from some of the young players.

After a big win, it should be a tough contest against the Hawks tonight. Two of the best, if not the two best, backcourts in the NBA will do battle as Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and company host Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and the Atlanta Hawks tonight. Buckle up!