The Cavaliers have poured serious money into their big three of Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell, and if they want that investment to pay off sooner rather than later, the fit has to get cleaner.
That starts with the defense. When Allen, Mobley and Mitchell are all on the floor together, the spacing gets cramped.
The same problem shows up on the other end of the floor, where James Harden and Donovan Mitchell can get picked on by every major name on the court. Cleveland’s addition of Peyton Watson this offseason gives them a little more flexibility, but not enough to ignore the issues.
Watson can help right away as a point of attack defender in the starting group. He has the kind of versatility to guard every position on the floor except center, and that matters when only one of Harden or Mitchell is on the court. Keeping Watson alongside that backcourt combination should make life easier defensively.
The bigger concern comes when Harden and Mitchell share the floor together. In that setup, both can become real defensive liabilities, with Harden the bigger problem. If Mitchell sharpens up on that end, the damage can be reduced, but that has to happen for the lineup to hold together.
Offensively, Cleveland also has to rethink how it uses Mobley. Last season, when the team ran five-out with Jarrett Allen stationed at the top of the key, opponents could ignore him because he wasn’t a perimeter threat, which clogged the lane and took away basket pressure.
Swapping Mobley into that spot changes the equation. His shooting is improving, and that means a defender has to stay attached to him on the perimeter.
That opens the floor for drivers like Watson or Mitchell, both of whom are at their best attacking the rim.
The bench unit should look different, too. Kenny Atkinson slows things down when that group checks in, and with Dennis Schroder traded, Sam Merrill is likely to become the lead guard off the bench.
One adjustment that could maximize Merrill is keeping him in motion constantly, using him as a movement weapon whether he’s handling the ball or working off it. There were flashes of that last season, but he spent much more of his time as a catch-and-shoot option.
Tyrese Proctor and Craig Porter Jr. are expected to compete for the main playmaking role off the bench in Schroder’s absence. Proctor enters the season with momentum and a strong case for a bigger role, while Porter Jr.’s minutes faded as last season wore on. Giving Proctor and rookie Meleek Thomas meaningful run could also help Cleveland keep a faster pace with the second unit, since both can create their own shots and set up teammates.
Proctor’s summer with Australia has already turned heads and given him valuable development heading into the season.
With Watson in the mix, Cleveland has more ways to speed the game up offensively. That could be the key to helping a defense that still needs help.
In Other News...
Kawhi Leonard Twist Could Create A New Problem For The Cavs
The NBAs punishment of the Clippers and Steve Ballmer over the salary-cap circumvention tied to Kawhi Leonard has put another strange layer on one of the leagues lingering stars. Leonard has been ordered to repay $700,000, but he will not be suspended, his contract remains valid and he remains eligible to be traded, which keeps the situation very much alive as teams around the league watch how it plays out.
For the Cavaliers, the wrinkle is less about the fine print and more about the possibility of movement on a player whose name still shifts the market whenever it surfaces. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the pre-agreed trade sending Leonard to the Toronto Raptors is expected to go through, which would take one more big name off the board and leave Cleveland to keep sorting through a landscape that may have just gotten a little more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Just Got A Reminder Of Their James Harden Problem
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For a team trying to stay competitive for years to come, the issue is not Hardens presence today so much as what his deal could mean later. The Cavs may eventually need to find a trade partner willing to take on that contract, and while there is no immediate urgency, the clock is already part of the equation whenever a contender commits to a veteran star on a long horizon. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers May Finally Have The Roster To Erase Last Year's Pain
The Cavaliers spent the summer reshaping a roster that already had enough talent to matter, then added another layer of intrigue with Peyton Watson joining a group built around All-Star guards James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. The result is a team that suddenly looks deeper and more balanced than the one that stumbled out of the postseason last spring, with bench pieces giving Cleveland more ways to survive the grind of an 82-game season and still keep enough juice for April.
For a team still carrying the sting of last years playoff loss, the question is no longer whether the Cavaliers have talent. It is whether this version of the roster can translate that talent into the kind of postseason run that finally pushes them past the point where one bad series defines the year. The pieces are there, the motivation is obvious, and now Cleveland has to show it can use both. [Read more 🡒]