Cavs projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
The Cleveland Cavaliers are bonafide contenders on paper, but last season ended with a rather embarrassing first-round exit. Now it’s up to J.B. Bickerstaff and company to avoid the same outcome in 2023-24.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished last season with the fifth-best record in the NBA. By every discernible metric, the Cavs were right on the precipice of contention, if not fully in the contenders circle. Then the playoffs arrived and Cleveland was dispatched in five games by an extremely flawed Knicks team.
Credit where credit is due — the Knicks were deep, balanced, and well-coached — but the Cavs shouldn’t have lost that series. So why did they?
A lot of the blame was rightfully pinned on J.B. Bickerstaff. It’s not often that Tom Thibodeau runs circles around his opponent in the playoffs, but he absolutely did in the first round. Some of the blame belongs to the players, of course. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland could have played better in critical spots. The Jarrett Allen-Evan Mobley frontcourt posed serious issues. And, of course, there’s the front office. Cleveland’s depth paled in comparison to New York’s depth. That was the real driving force behind the Knicks’ victory.
Cleveland made a valiant effort to address certain issues over the summer. Bickerstaff remains as head coach, and he probably deserves another go-around after last season. The players love him. The twin towers remain in the starting lineup, but the Cavs are popping up in trade rumors involving Jarrett Allen. There could be a significant move on the horizon.
Most of the summer changes, however, have been marginal. Small additions to the periphery of the depth chart to strengthen the second unit and better balance the offensive shot profile. Here’s what Bickerstaff is working with rotationally entering the new season.
Cleveland Cavaliers starting point guard: Darius Garland
Darius Garland doesn’t get the praise he deserves. Last season was a complete offensive masterclass from the 23-year-old out of Vanderbilt. Garland adjusted his approach to accommodate Donovan Mitchell, but he still averaged 7.8 assists (to only 2.9 turnovers) while scoring 21.6 points on highly impressive .462/.410/.863 splits.
Garland is a limited defender, which is the ultimate cap on his NBA ceiling. Offensively, there’s not much going against him at the moment. He’s a master of the pick-and-roll, constantly shifting gears off the dribble to manipulate his defender and generate advantages. He’s absolute money on pull-up jumpers or floaters. He also reads the floor at a high level and regularly finds open teammates spotting up on the perimeter or ducking toward the rim.
Off the ball, Garland offers ample value as a spot-up shooter. His willingness to relocate and move without the ball was key to unlocking a winning dynamic with Mitchell in the backcourt. Defenses faced a constant conundrum attempting to keep Mitchell out of the paint while also compensating for Garland’s dynamism attacking off the catch (and vice versa).
He’s a perennial All-Star candidate in the East at this point. It can be difficult to win at the highest level with small backcourts (see: Lillard and McCollum in Portland), but the Cavs have the luxury of two elite rim protectors. Improvement to the perimeter defense around Mitchell and Garland is imperative, but the front office addressed those concerns in the offseason. How well is up for debate until the product is unveiled, but the Cavs’ defense should be better overall.
Primary backup point guard: Donovan Mitchell
The Cavs should stagger Mitchell and Garland, keeping one on the floor at all times. Mitchell has grown immensely over the last couple years as a playmaker for others, consistently leveraging his gravity as a driver to generate looks for teammates. He’s better suited to defending point guards because of his size, too.
Other players who could receive minutes at point guard: Ricky Rubio
It was tough sledding for Ricky Rubio last season in his return from a knee injury, but we have seen Rubio impact winning at a considerable level when he’s right. The 3-point shot has come around in a big way in recent years, he’s a tremendous positional defender, and the playmaking acumen has never been in doubt. Expect him to carve out a consistent role.