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What should the Cleveland Cavaliers playoff rotation look like?

By Chad Porto

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 19: Donovan Mitchell #45 and Cedi Osman #16 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate a basket during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on October 19, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 19: Donovan Mitchell #45 and Cedi Osman #16 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate a basket during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on October 19, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /
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What should the Cleveland Cavaliers rotation look like for the NBA Playoffs?

The NBA regular season ends on Sunday for the Cleveland Cavaliers. After that, it’s all about the playoffs. The playoffs change everything. Lineups go longer, rotations get shorter, and guys you didn’t think would be playing meaningful minutes do. Not too mention those that were playing big minutest sometimes don’t.

For head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, he’s got a tough task ahead of him for what the playoff rotation should look like. Does he prioratize scoring with the likes of Caris LeVert, Cedi Osman and Danny Green? Does he focus on size, and use guys like Isaiah Mobley and Dean Wade? What about ball-handling, where Raul Neto and Ricky Rubio get more minutes?

All solid questions, all solid ideas, but what should the rotation be for the playoffs?

What should the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup and rotation look like for the playoffs?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a defensive minded team first and foremost, so that’s going to be the driving force for the team’s starting five and role-players off the bench. So what should that look like?

The Knicks starting features Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, R.J. Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, so the Cavs would be wise to stay with the status quo, and keep Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the lineup. I wouldn’t rule out starting Ricky Rubio over Garland, in order to slow down Brunson some, and allow Garland more opportunities against the second unit, but that’s only in case of an emergency.

The Knicks don’t have a lot of great three-point shooters in the starting lineup and the bench is no different. So you want to attack them with long bodies and good defenders. So ideally you’d want to go with Dean Wade, Ricky Rubio and Danny Green first and foremost. As for the primary shooter, I think you go with Caris LeVert off the bench.

You’d swap out Wade or Rubio with Cedi Osman if you need more scoring. You could even swap out Osman for Okoro if Okoro falters against the Knicks.

Next. 3 Cleveland Cavaliers who need to step up in the playoffs. dark

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