The Cavaliers have arguably the most talented depth chart in the Eastern Conference. This becomes clear when you take into account that Cleveland has two superstar guards in its lineup in the form of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, along with two All-Star, rim-protecting big men in the form of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen (who has been on fire lately).
Cleveland also has supreme shooting around these stars, with Sam Merrill (46.1 percent from 3) and Jaylon Tyson (45.8 percent from 3) landing at No. 2 and No. 3 among the NBA's 3-point percentage leaders entering Wednesday.
For the Cavs to vanquish their East foes and advance to the Finals, they'll need to exploit their talent surplus by taking advantage of the minutes when the opposition doesn't necessarily have its superstar(s) on the floor. Max Kellerman acknowledged this during a recent episode of his Game Over podcast with co-host Rich Paul.
Cavaliers have luxury of star power on the floor for all 48 minutes
"The Cavs could be a problem (in the East)," Kellerman said. "They have two guys who can make plays in the backcourt, and two guys who can defend in the frontcourt."
Kellerman added that the Cavs essentially have 48 minutes throughout the game wherein they have at least one superstar playmaker and one All-Star rim protector on the floor.
This should give the Cavs an advantage against other teams' bench players/second units in the postseason. By staggering Mitchell's minutes with Harden's -- and Mobley's with Allen's -- Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson can essentially always have a starting lineup on the floor, which is what Kellerman was pointing to.
Every starting lineup in the playoffs will be potent. As such, games might be won and lost during minutes of mixed lineups for either team, when bench players are essential, and chemistry up and down the depth chart begins to matter all the more.
Dennis Schroder is a symbol for Cavs' surplus of talent
Don't forget about Dennis Schroder's role in this advantage for the Cavs. There's a reason Schroder has finished in the top 10 for Sixth Man voting on three different occasions in his career. Schroder has been known to carve up second-unit defenders off the dribble.
In fact, Schroder was carving up the Detroit Pistons' starters off the dribble in Tuesday night's home victory for the Cavs.
Cleveland will need Schroder to keep his foot on the gas in the postseason. Their superpower, as Kellerman alluded to, is that they have top-level talent on the floor at all times. This could lead to opponents' stars going off in a losing effort, with the opposing coach realizing that he's been outdone by a deeper roster dominating at the margins during the less-glorified minutes.