What should the Cleveland Cavaliers starting 5 look like

The Cleveland Cavaliers have options at the small forward spot.

The trade for Donovan Mitchell didn’t hurt the Cleveland Cavaliers at all. The team was plenty stacked and due to that the team could easily let go of some important, but expendable pieces. Losing Collin Sexton and Ochai Agbaji was a bit of a blow but Lauri Markkanen, the team’s starter at the small forward spot, may have been the piece that hurt the most.

It won’t sink the team by any means, as this team is stacked with talent but it does create a competition of sorts. Unlike in football, a starting unit isn’t just about what players are the best. Basketball requires a bit more nuance, and you need to figure out which players fit what schemes and who plays well with one another. You want five guys on the court at all times that provide a different element to the game.

The Cavs starting four has Darius Garland, who can pass and shoot threes. Mitchell can play on and off the ball while scoring from all three areas on the court. Evan Mobley, a modified stretch-four who’s a defensive dynamo, and Jarrett Allen, a high-volume, low-post scoring threat and a likewise, defensive dynamo.

What the Cavs really need from that fifth spot, the small forward (aka the three) is a player who can play defense better than Garland and Mitchell and can shoot threes. The Cavs have four players who offer up different fits into the starting lineup, so which one works the best?

Which player should the Cleveland Cavaliers go with?

The most obvious suggestion is Caris LeVert. He’s the right height, has a good wing span, and is a solid shooter. He’s not a three-point specialist, however, and his defense is, at best, passable. He’d be a good fit if you were looking at an “all-around” type of player.

If you’re looking for a defensive player, Isaac Okoro is an option. He’s big and thick like Mitchell but he lacks height for the position. He’s also a liability on offense, though, with Garland and Mitchell, you may not need much out of Okoro.

If you want a defender who’s almost as good as Okoro but is taller and a better scorer, you have Dean Wade. Wade isn’t as quick of foot as Okoro, but he has the length to help make up for that. He’d be playing out of position some and faster smaller forwards could give him grief but he’s not a liability offensively as Okoro is, even if you have to play him out of position.

Lastly is Cedi Osman, a more point-forward with three-point shooting potential but inconsistent from that far. Osman has the most upside as a starter, but he also has the most downside as a starter too. His best usage on offense is with the ball in his hands so he can attack the basket inside, something he does very well. Yet, with the four guys on the floor with him, the team already has enough inside scoring.

The best bet is to go with LeVert, as he’s not a big-time scorer so you don’t need to lean on him, but he’s good enough to be the third or fourth option at any given time. He’s long enough to help negate the opposing offenses and he knows Allen very well.

Okoro may find himself out of the rotation this year, while Wade is better served playing the power forward or center positions. As for Osman, he’d probably find a more viable role coming off the bench with Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love, helping spread the floor and maybe getting more opportunities to take the ball up.

LeVert isn’t the best player, but the rest of the options either force players to change their styles or play out of position, and that’s not what you want. So LeVert makes the most sense by default, plus he’s already started for the team last year as the team’s shooting guard, so he’s familiar with the playbook and his role within.