Cleveland Cavaliers young stars named one of NBA's most "bizarre" duos

With six different NBA champions crowned in the last six years, the path to success in the NBA is more varied than ever. The Cleveland Cavaliers have chosen to double down on their current core as the cornerstones of claiming another route to gold.

In the 2021-22 season, the Cavs emerged as one of the league's premier young squads with a budding star in Darius Garland piloting the ship with two young defensive juggernauts in the frontcourt with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Following Garland and Allen making the All-Star squad for the first time, Cleveland's future looked as bright as possible. Ahead of the following season, the Cavaliers acquired superstar Donovan Mitchell in a blockbuster trade to place him next to the three budding stars.

Despite the talent surrounding Mitchell, the Cavaliers have an unorthodox core in the modern NBA. Pairing two undersized guards and two non-shooting big men has led to endless speculation of the team's ceiling together and potential trade opportunities every summer. While this year appeared to hold weight for one or two core players to be traded, Cleveland has stayed committed to their core instead.

Cleveland's approach has earned two playoff appearances with a starting lineup composed of players all under 30 years old. Still, the Cavs' roster construction is imperfect, leading to plenty of discussion.

Mobley and Allen named a "bizarre" pairing

In a recent piece, Bleacher Report's Dan Favale detailed the four most bizarre star duos across the Association. Alongside Minnesota Timberwolves two-big frontcourt with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, the Cavs' own Mobley and Allen joined the list.

Favale recognized the recent successes of the Cavaliers and noted that many downsides could be abnormalities rather than signs of Cleveland's ceiling. Still, B/R noted there is no guarantee the Cavs can figure out the pairing in time.

"Cleveland's Core Four has looked promising enough to keep it intact...for now. But it'd be foolish to believe this duo's success is guaranteed"

- Dan Favale

Last season, the Cavaliers reached the second round of the playoffs before falling in five games to the eventual champions Boston Celtics. Allen did not play a single minute against Boston, and Mitchell ended up sidelined with injuries by the time the season ended. In Garland's second playoff appearance, his production dipped again, and he could not lead the Cavaliers past the Celtics.

One player stood out as a true playoff performer, though. Evan Mobley set a playoff career high in Game 5, scoring 33 points and showing fearless determination against the Celtics. Mobley's frontcourt running mate without Allen was Isaac Okoro, a 6-foot-4 wing with little offensive production of his own. Mobley's postseason impact showcased the potential the Cavaliers have hoped to see, but that same potential has yet to appear when sharing the court with Allen.

Favale detailed how Cleveland's pairing, though unorthodox, is not beyond repair. Other contenders across the Association have implemented a supersized frontcourt. Including Minnesota, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and even Boston Celtics will employ two bigs in the post in certain lineups. In every other rendition of this construction, however, at least one big man can challenge rivals from the three-point line.

Thus far, neither of Cleveland's bigs are capable shooters yet. After seven seasons, Allen's career 17.1 percent from deep suggest he will not be the one to develop a shot.

On the other hand, Mobley showed some improved production from deep last year after a lengthy knee injury kept him out of action. He finished the year with a 37.3 three-point percentage on low volume. After a handful of games in which the Cavs' offense prioritized Mobley's three-point shot, then head coach J.B. Bickerstaff seemingly abandoned the idea.

For the Cavaliers to move to the next level of contention and exiting the realm of bizarre duos, developing Mobley will be key. While he does not need to transform into Stephen Curry's biggest rival for best shooter of all time, new Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson could be the perfect solution to Mobley's stagnant development.

With the Golden State Warriors, Atkinson helped devise strategies to maximize a non-shooting frontcourt. Under Steve Kerr, Golden State won the 2022 NBA Finals with Draymond Green and Kevon Looney in the starting five. Rather than put either player into a poor-fitting role, the Warriors maximized Draymond's facilitating and intelligence. Atkinson's opening press conference noted these same qualities in Mobley, suggesting that the young star's development could extend beyond just adding another shot to his arsenal.

As it stands, the Cleveland Cavaliers have much to figure out. With Mobley's development and a lacking supporting cast behind the core, Cleveland's future is left to be determined.