Picture: Outside of Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday, April 12th, 2017.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished the 2016-2017 regular season with a record of 51-31. This was six fewer wins than last season (57-25) and two fewer wins than two seasons ago (53-29). With that said, they are preparing to open the 2017 Playoffs as the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference against the #7 seed Indiana Pacers.
In a past article, it was stated that even the best teams make changes to their lineup, and they do this throughout the playoffs. When it comes down to it, teams typically have:
- Star players who are core players
- Role players who are core players
- Role players who are situational players
- Bench players who are secondary backups
As it stands, the Cavs enter the 2017 Playoffs with the following rotation:
- F/G LeBron James, G Kyrie Irving, F/C Kevin Love
- C/F Tristan Thompson, G/F J.R. Smith, G/F Iman Shumpert, F/G Kyle Korver, F/G Richard Jefferson, F/C Channing Frye, G Deron Williams
- F/G Derrick Williams, G/F Dahntay Jones, C Edy Tavares
- F/G James Jones, G Kay Felder
>> As expected, James, Irving, and Love remain the focal points of the Cavs' offense. Coach Lue needs to make sure to keep offensive sets flowing so that movement does not get stagnant and no one gets cold. James should get a variety of looks as a ball handler, on the wing, and at the high and low posts. Meanwhile, Irving will get situations as a ball handler and wingman, including spot-up shooting opportunities and pick and fade plays. As for Love, he needs to get the ball at the elbows (by the free throw line and on the three-point arc) and in the low post at both blocks.
>> Thompson, Smith, Korver, Jefferson, and Frye should be core rotation players for the duration of the playoffs. Thompson remains a steady interior defender and offensive rebounder. Smith, Korver, Jefferson, and Frye will all be critical spot-up shooters, with Smith and Jefferson looking to be leaned on more heavily for reliable physical defense. If Korver and Frye do well with rebounding and are proficient enough on defense, they will get their full share of minutes.
>> Shumpert could find himself benched in favor of playing time for Smith, Korver, Jefferson, Deron Williams, Derrick Williams, and/or Dahntay Jones. As the season has worn on, he has been inconsistent with his defense and shooting. At this point, he has shown more value as a backup point guard than as a wing defender--and he was acquired two years ago to be a strong wing defender first and foremost.
>> Deron Williams will need to play well to stay in the rotation. He can score points in bunches but has not been a steady defender since his prime days in Utah. He does play well in slower, more methodical offensive sets, which should be more plentiful in playoff basketball. At the same time, should he struggle at either end of the court, the Cavs could very well play bigger when Irving is resting on the bench.
>> Derrick Williams, D. Jones, and Tavares are three wild cards in the playoffs. During the regular season, Williams showed good chemistry with James, Korver, Jefferson, and Frye during a four-game winning streak before several players joined/rejoined the roster. In general, Williams has a diverse skill set that is like a bench style version of LeBron. Meanwhile, D. Jones put together a critical Finals Game 6 performance to help the Cavs put together a big win to force Game 7. He had been playing spot minutes throughout the playoffs to help steady the defense and keep the ball moving on offense. As for Tavares, the Cavs have replaced Chris "Birdman" Andersen--and finally found a healthy replacement for Timofey Mozgov. As a natural shot blocker and tough rebounder, he could find his way into key matchups with strong opposing centers.
>> J. Jones may be in uniform for some games and could see action either in garbage time or as a situational clutch shooter. At the very least, he remains a vocal leader in the locker room.
>> Felder is not expected to be in uniform during the playoffs. He will benefit from being in the locker room and on the bench with the defending champions. In future seasons, he could find his way into the playoff rotation.
For comparison's sake, here are the rotations the Cavs used in the last two NBA Finals:
In the 2016 Finals, the Cavs used the following rotation:
For comparison's sake, here are the rotations the Cavs used in the last two NBA Finals:
In the 2016 Finals, the Cavs used the following rotation:
- F/G LeBron James, G Kyrie Irving, F/C Kevin Love
- G/F J.R. Smith, C/F Tristan Thompson, F/G Richard Jefferson, G/F Iman Shumpert
- G Matthew Dellavedova, F/C Channing Frye, G Mo Williams, G/F Dahntay Jones
- C Timofey Mozgov, F/G James Jones, G/F Jordan McRae, C Sasha Kaun
In the 2015 Finals, the Cavs used this rotation:
- F/G LeBron James
- F/C Tristan Thompson, G/F Iman Shumpert, G/F J.R. Smith, G Matthew Dellavedova, C Timofey Mozgov, F/G James Jones
- G/F Mike Miller, G Joe Harris, C Kendrick Perkins
- F/G Shawn Marion, C Brendan Haywood
- *Injured: G Kyrie Irving, F/C Kevin Love, C/F Anderson Varejao
Picture: Tweet made prior to Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
The Cavs ended up playing both Williams and Jones at different points in the first half.