The Cleveland Cavaliers have been struggling as of late, as they have gone just 3-7 over their past ten games as they deal with poor play and injuries across the board. While the Cavs should be in good shape if they can get healthy ahead of the postseason, Brian Windhorst believes that it may be time for the team to make a massive change in their starting lineup.
Cleveland has one of the more unique starting lineups in the NBA, as they run two guards (Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland) and two centers (Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley) with just one wing player, which has been Max Strus when everyone has been healthy. While the Cavs have been able to win with the lineup, Windhorst believes the combination of Allen and Mobley needs to be broken up if the Cavaliers want to reach their full potential.
Should the Cavs listen to Brian Windhorst’s lineup suggestion?
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It’s been tough sledding for Cleveland as of late, but they are still the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, so it’s not as if they have completely fallen apart. However, they went from having the inside track for the two seed in the East just a few weeks ago to where they are now, and the Orlando Magic are breathing down their necks, as they are just 1.5 games behind them at the five seed.
Switching the lineup could provide this team a spark, but dropping either Allen or Mobley would be an extremely tough decision for J.B. Bickerstaff to make. Allen has been having arguably the best season of his career (16.3 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, 63 FG%), and while Mobley has struggled with injuries this season, he still has the ability to be a game-changing two-way big man who can hold down the power forward spot alongside Allen.
Furthermore, Windhorst seems to suggest that Darius Garland’s spot in the starting lineup should be under consideration, unless he were to be the point guard, and Mitchell were to be one of the three shooters. Similar to Mobley, Garland has been hampered by injuries this season, and while he can break games open on his own, splitting him and Mitchell up in the backcourt may be what’s best for the team.
There’s a lot for the Cavs to consider as they try to get on track, but it’s tough to believe that Bickerstaff will seriously consider shifting one of their four best players to the bench in favor of a more conventional lineup. Getting their key guys back on the court from injuries will certainly help, but if they continue to struggle once they are fully healthy, then Bickerstaff may have to consider making some big changes to his team’s starting lineup.