Analyst Says Cavs Are Better Off With Specific Lineup

The Cleveland Cavaliers finished as the fourth seed during the 2022-23 NBA season, but failed to get past the opening round of the postseason.

Keeping that in mind, many expected the Cavaliers to only improve their performance during the 2023-24 NBA season.

However, the Cavs have been off to an inconsistent start to the new season.

One key reason behind the Cavaliers’ struggles this season is using a lineup where they play two big men on the floor.

NBA analyst Mike Zavagno exposed that lineup in one of his recent posts on his official Twitter handle.

Garland-Mitchell-Strus-Mobley-Allen:
112.8 oRTG | 107.2 dRTG = +5.7 Net

Garland-Mitchell-Strus-Allen no Mobley:
125.7 oRTG | 100 dRTG = +25.7 Net

Garland-Mitchell-Strus-Mobley no Allen:
121.9 oRTG | 94.5 dRTG = +27.4 Net

Cavs continue to be much better with just 1 of the bigs

— Mike Zavagno (@MZavagno11) December 13, 2023

As mentioned in the tweet, when the Cavaliers play Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen together on the court, they have a +5.7 Net rating.

On the other hand, when they played the same lineup without Mobley, the Net rating increased to +25.7.

Lastly, when Cavaliers head coach J. B. Bickerstaff put the same roster on the floor without Allen, and they had an amazing Net rating of +27.4.

Keeping the above-mentioned stats in mind, it’s obvious that the organization shouldn’t put two big men on the floor.

At the end of the day, it’s up to the head coach to make the final call for future games.

As of now, the Cleveland Cavaliers have fallen to a 13-11 record and hold the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Despite playing well for a few games, the Cavs are now 5-5 in their last five games and are currently on a two-game losing streak following their most recent defeat against the Boston Celtics.