The Cleveland Cavaliers have played four pre-season games to date, after watching them, we still have no idea what to think about J.B. Bickerstaff’s team.
Our guess is there will be more losing on the horizon, which won’t thrill the fan base who have been watching bad basketball for three seasons since LeBron James departed for Los Angeles.
The Cavs are very much still a young basketball team and if they decided to not start Lauri Markkanen, all of their starters will be 23 years old or younger. By the way, Markkanen is only 24.
However, sometimes younger doesn’t always mean better. We have used this analogy many times, but remember when you went up to the local YMCA or playground when you were just out of high school and a bunch of old guys ran you off the court?
It’s called experience.
Now that doesn’t mean the youngsters can’t learn from old heads like Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love. Here’s hoping Rubio makes a huge impression on Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, because in these practice games, the ball moves a lot more when the veteran from Spain is on the court.
Playing in an average of 19.4 minutes per game, Rubio leads the team in assists in exhibition play at 5.8 per game. That’s almost two dimes more than the next best figures, Darius Garland and another experience newcomer, Kevin Pangos, both of whom dish out four assists per outing.
We believe Bickerstaff’s goal should be getting his five best players on the floor as much as possible and figuring out what style of play is best suited to that group. The coach has said he wants to play up tempo and shoot threes, but it’s hard to see how that works when several of his best players are big men.
We would start Garland and Sexton at guards, with Jarrett Allen, Markkanen, and Isaac Okoro up front, although we’d keep an eye on the latter, who seems to have a problem fitting in offensively right now.
And we would emphasize defense. That keeps you in basketball games. You expended high draft picks each of the last two seasons on players who are good defenders. Let them do what they do best. And at the same time, force your guards to understand that’s what is important on this basketball team.
This past year’s first round pick, Evan Mobley, looks to be a force defensively, but let him get acclimated to NBA life and get stronger by limiting him to around 20-25 minutes per night. To us, he still looks like he will be really good in 2-3 years, but he definitely appears he can contribute now.
But why put pressure on him?
So, if that’s your starting five, your primary bench guys are Rubio, Mobley, and Love, with any other minutes likely going to Cedi Osman, Dylan Windler (who could get more time if he can make shots, something the Cavs desperately need), and Denzel Valentine.
It’s also time to start holding players accountable. If the ball movement isn’t there offensively, take someone out and put Rubio in. It will improve. If one of the guards isn’t working on defense? Move Okoro to guard and bring in Mobley or another forward.
If the Cavaliers aren’t going to win this season, at least they should be laying a foundation for winning. We think there has been a shortage of that thinking since James left after the 2017-18 season.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 