Following Monday morning’s practice session, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue announced the players he will start in Tuesday’s preseason opener against the Boston Celtics. With several members of the media gathered, Lue noted that George Hill, Cedi Osman, Rodney Hood, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson will be the starting five.
It’s unclear if Lue will go with this exact lineup to start the regular season, but he just might do that. Things are different in Cleveland these days now that LeBron James has taken his talents to Hollywood to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving the Cavs after four straight trips to the Finals.
Where does this leave the Cavs? Well, in the land of opportunity, as several players will see a lot more action in the wake of James’ departure.
Love, who has now become the face of the Cavs, signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension earlier this summer. He’ll be starting at power forward (maybe center on occasion) in the regular season. Thompson will get the majority of the workload at the 5.
Osman, a second-year forward the Cavs are admittedly high on, is the likely candidate to fill James’ shoes at the 3. Those are awfully big shoes, but Cedi is ready.
Hill will likely start the season at point guard, but let’s not forget about rookie Collin Sexton, the No. 8 overall selection in this year’s draft. Sexton could easily take over the starting job as the season goes along.
The shooting guard position is where the Cavs have a bit of an issue, as there are currently six of them listed on their preseason roster.
Though he struggled in the playoffs last season, it’s nice to hear Lue is still confident in Hood’s game. The former Utah Jazz swingman will undoubtedly get more looks this season. Let’s see if he can cash in on the opportunity.
Tuesday’s game against the Celtics is set to tip inside TD Garden at 8:00 p.m. ET. TNT will have live broadcast coverage.