The 4 most important Cavs in the playoffs not named Donovan Mitchell

With the season winding down, the Cleveland Cavaliers have officially clinched their first playoff berth in half a decade. Thanks to the efforts of Cleveland’s young core and J.B. Bickerstaff’s leadership, a new era has arrived for Cavs fans. The first era of the 21st century that does not revolve around Cleveland King LeBron James.

Currently, the Cavs have the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference and are likely to finish the season as such. It is a given that Donovan Mitchell will show up in the playoffs, as he has done it every year of his career. For the rest of the roster, though, there is little playoff experience to be found. Thus, we will take a look at the other four most important Cavaliers going into the NBA Playoffs that will make or break Cleveland’s postseason success.

No. 4: Cedi Osman

The longest-tenured Cavalier since Kevin Love’s departure, Cedi Osman has solidified his place in Cleveland’s bench rotation, averaging 17.9 minutes in his last 12 matchups. Along with Ricky Rubio’s 18 minutes per game and LeVert’s 30 minutes per game, Cedi Osman takes up a bulk of the reserve minutes.

All season, the Cavs’ largest area for improvement has been the wing position. For the majority of the first half of the season, Cedi Osman played an inconsistent role, although he always hustled every possession. Now, with a recent surge in constant productivity, maintaining his energy and value will prove crucial for Cleveland’s wing depth to meet the needs of their coming series.

Additionally, Osman is the only Cavalier who has played with LeBron James. While he was a rookie and rarely saw the court, he reached the 2018 NBA Finals. He knows what to expect in the playoffs and will need to pass this onto his teammates.

On nights that Isaac Okoro’s shot is not falling and nights that Caris LeVert needs to play in the backcourt with Garland or Mitchell, The First Cedi will be Cleveland’s wing anchor. His ability to serve in this role may prove to be a deciding factor in games.

No. 3: Darius Garland

As the primary orchestrator of Cleveland’s offense, Darius Garland is going to face an entirely new challenge in his first career playoff run. Before now, Garland has only experienced the Play-In Tournament in last year’s disappointing finish.

With seasoned playoff performer Donovan Mitchell at his side, Garland is sure to have plenty of opportunities to expand his offensive utility. We have already seen this come to fruition, as Cleveland’s beloved Garland is shooting a career high 41% from beyond the arc thanks in no small part to Spida’s gravitational pull against defenses.

It is undoubtedly clear Garland has the talent to help Cleveland make a deep Playoff push. His mindset and mental fortitude will be the defining factor for his postseason impact this year. If he can make up for his lack of experience by swiftly adapting to the bright lights, then Cleveland’s successful rebuild will be even greater.

No. 2: Evan Mobley

Recently, Atlanta Hawks backup center Onyeka Okongwu called Evan Mobley a unicorn, as of earlier this week. That was certainly not the first time this phrase has been used to describe Mobley’s potential dominance. On the defensive end, Mobley is already one of, if not the, best players in the NBA right now. In his sophomore season, Evan Mobley could potentially be in the final three competitors for Defensive Player of the Year, if the league’s last DPOY Ladder holds weight.

With his recent offensive surge in tow, Mobley’s potential playoff value is immeasurable. While his three-point shooting still has a long way to go, Mobley’s assertive drives and growing ball handling gives Cleveland another consistent threat on offense next to Garland, Mitchell, and Jarrett Allen.

Not only has Evan Mobley’s scoring improved, his passing and overall game sense is tremendously improved from last season. Mobley is never afraid to make the extra pass to an open shooter or throw up a lob to his frontcourt partner in Jarrett Allen.

Evan Mobley rising to the challenge on this stage can shift Cleveland’s contention possibility drastically. At such a young age, Evan Mobley may not keep his momentum going once the final regular season game has been played; however, with a talented center in Allen next to him and two creative guards setting him up, Mobley may find the confidence needed to define himself as a postseason performer already.

No. 1: Jarrett Allen

Allen stands out for more than his unforgettable hair style and love for Pokémon. Since Jarrett Allen’s arrival in Cleveland, he has defined the team’s defensive presence. Further, pairing Allen with Garland allowed DG to develop his playmaking and blossom his potential into reality.

In total, Allen serves as a capstone to Cleveland’s success. The Cavs are a relatively small team outside of their frontcourt, so consistent production from Allen proves crucial in every competition Cleveland enters.

As silent as Allen can be, his on and off court actions place him in a leadership role with the team’s roster. His performance will be a catalyst for the rest of the roster. Jarrett Allen can anchor down the inexperienced Cavaliers, taking his past playoff experience into this year. Whether Allen is vocal in huddles to fire up his teammates or ignites the Cavs through dominant dunks and stifling blocks, Allen will likely be the most important Cavalier next to Donovan Mitchell.

Allen does not need to put up 20-10 games to be successful in this postseason. Using his size and natural game sense will open up opportunities for his teammates to take the next step. It will be Allen’s hustle and mentorship that defines his role this year, even though it will not show up on a traditional box score, necessarily.

If Jarrett Allen’s unstoppable defense and offensive selflessness maintains its current effectiveness, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have no limit to their success this year.