From the start of the season to now, the Cleveland Cavaliers have not had every player on their roster available. It feels like when one player returns from injury, one or two more are added to the injury report.
The Cavs are not strangers to seeing injuries derail their season. They saw that happen against the Indiana Pacers last season, when Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter all missed game two, while Donovan Mitchell battled a calf injury that entire series.
Fast forward to this year and while Cleveland is getting healthier with the playoffs near, they still do not know what their team looks like at full strength.
Cavaliers are going to have to adjust on the fly when it comes to their playoff rotation
Head coach Kenny Atkinson has openly stated that he would like to cut his rotation down to nine players for the playoffs. Fortunately for Cleveland, they do have a number of names they can turn to in any series, but that will lead to tough decisions.
James Harden, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Mitchell are near-locks to play heavy minutes. Sam Merrill and Max Strus also seem to be locks. Keon Ellis is nearing that territory, given his defensive prowess, and the Cavs’ metrics with him on the floor.
If healthy, Dean Wade feels like a lock because of his defensive versatility, and a trio of him, Mobley, and Allen will give teams fits defensively. Jaylon Tyson, who is nursing his own toe injury and has struggled as of late, is not a rotation lock right now. However, he has had an amazing second season and Cleveland is going to need his physicality and his synergy with Mitchell.
Then others like Dennis Schroder, Craig Porter Jr., Thomas Bryant, and Nae’Qwan Tomlin are all unlikely to be every night fixtures, but they have all shown that they can contribute when called upon.
Cleveland has the pieces for a deep playoff rotation, which is a huge positive for any team looking for a deep run in the spring. However, they are not going to know the nine or 10 best players for their rotation come their first Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs in April. They do, however, have a lot of different players they can fit in, based on what a series calls for.
Time will tell if the Cavs will be able to, but this is a team that is hungry and desperate for a long postseason. They have no choice but to adjust on the fly.