The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a weird spot, as they are about to have to make some tough second-apron decisions, and they haven’t had enough success to justify overpaying. James Harden needs an extension, Evan Mobley is on a max, and Donovan Mitchell just got a massive new deal. But they can’t abandon Jarrett Allen. He’s the key to their best lineups.
It would be easy for the Cavs to dump Allen’s salary, shift the way they play, and use Mobley as their center. Allen has even been involved in some recent trade rumors. But lineups that feature both Mobley and Allen (double-big lineups) have been the best for Cleveland. They shouldn’t break up what has worked the best for them. They should shake up the rest of the team instead.
Mobley-Allen double-big lineups have been good for the Cavaliers, so they need to find another way to stay under the second apron.
Cavaliers need to keep their double-big lineups in tact
When you take a look at two-man lineups with Mobley and Allen, it’s clear what type of groups the Cavaliers need to lean into. When they are both on the court, the Cavs are better off for it.
Last season, in 594 minutes of game time with both Mobley and Allen on the floor together, the Cavaliers had a +11.8 net rating, according to Databallr. From there, it gets worse.
With just Allen on the court and no Mobley (839 minutes), the Cavaliers’ net rating falls to +5.9. Then, with Mobley and no Allen (1,345 minutes), it sits at +4.3. And lastly, with both of them off the floor (793 minutes), the Cavs’ net rating was just +2.3.
It’s not close. The Cavaliers are the best version of themselves when Mobley and Allen are on the court together. So, trading Allen and running Mobley at the five wouldn’t be ideal.
Cleveland will need to shed some salary because of the second apron. That much is virtually inevitable. And Allen has been a name thrown around in trade rumors as of late.
But moving him is not the solution for the Cavs. They need to do everything possible in order to keep him on the team. Cleveland should be building around its double-big lineups, not splitting the two big men up.
Allen is crucial to the Cavaliers’ on-court success, and he and Mobley should be on the court together as much as possible moving forward. The Cavs absolutely should not split them up.
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