The Cleveland Cavaliers are facing a fascinating strategic dilemma as the NBA playoffs approach, and the very need to play two big men together has surprisingly diminished.
This season, the Cavaliers have assembled a dynamic roster, featuring the intriguing pick-and-roll synergy between James Harden and Jarrett Allen, and the re-established connection of Donovan Mitchell with Evan Mobley. Adding to the mix are valuable role players like Keon Ellis, Dennis Schröder, Dean Wade, and Jaylon Tyson. Head coach Kenny Atkinson now has a wealth of talent, but only 27 games to orchestrate how these pieces will harmoniously fit together before the stakes of the postseason become paramount.
On the recent "Wine and Gold Talk" podcast, cleveland.com beat reporter Chris Fedor and host Ethan Sands delved into the most critical tactical question: which lineups will truly make the Cavaliers a formidable force when it matters most?
But here's where it gets controversial... The most captivating lineup query isn't about who starts, but rather how Coach Atkinson will strategically stagger his star players during crucial game moments, often before the final stretch even begins. Fedor proposed a thought-provoking idea that challenges conventional basketball wisdom: "I’m wondering, just thinking out loud, if Kenny is going to remember last year it was Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell. I’m wondering if he’s going to default back to something like that and flip it a little bit and say, all right, when Donovan comes off the the floor does Evan come off the floor too and just let the James Harden, Jarrett Allen thing be the focal point of the offense." This approach could create two distinct, high-powered offensive units, each designed to maximize the strengths of its star pairings – Mitchell with Mobley, and Harden with Allen – potentially unlocking elite production at every turn.
And this is the part most people miss... The most contentious, yet pivotal, lineup decision revolves around whether Atkinson will keep Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley on the court together, and crucially, when. For Sands, this pairing is the linchpin of the entire playoff strategy: "The two big pairings, the two non-shooter pairings where Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are side by side when both or either James Harden or Donovan Mitchell are on the floor with them. And I think that becomes most intriguing based on whether or not Kenny Atkinson is going to utilize that as a closing unit."
Last season, the dual-big lineup was a defensive imperative. With Darius Garland statistically among the league's weaker defenders, the Cavaliers relied heavily on the combined defensive presence of Allen and Mobley to act as a formidable shot-blocking duo, cleaning up the defensive lapses from the perimeter. However, Fedor argued on the podcast that the defensive landscape has fundamentally shifted with the arrival of James Harden: "I just don’t think they need the two bigs as much as they did before because I just don’t think they need that same level of rim protection. ... With James Harden, you don’t need that same level of protection. You don’t need that same level of erase the mistakes defensively." Unlike Garland, Harden doesn't present the same defensive vulnerabilities that opponents could consistently exploit through pick-and-roll mismatches. The Cavaliers' overall defensive floor has significantly improved, opening up possibilities for more offensively potent lineups that don't necessitate the simultaneous presence of both big men.
With 27 games remaining, the urgency for the Cavaliers to find the right combinations is palpable. These aren't just casual experiments; each lineup Coach Atkinson deploys over the next several weeks serves as a crucial data point, a building block for a championship aspirations. Will the Harden-Allen connection continue its impressive run, boasting a plus-7.9 net rating per 100 possessions? Can pairing Mitchell and Mobley unlock an even higher level of play from the team's cornerstone? And can depth players like Ellis and Schröder be trusted in high-stakes playoff scenarios?
These are the pressing questions that Chris Fedor and Ethan Sands are expertly dissecting. Tune into the "Wine and Gold Talk" podcast to understand how every lineup decision the Cavaliers make now could ultimately determine whether they are hoisting a championship banner.
What are your thoughts on the Cavaliers' evolving lineup strategy? Do you believe the need for two traditional bigs has truly decreased, or is it a necessary evil for defensive stability? Share your opinions in the comments below!
