Cleveland Cavaliers: The 3 best possible starting lineups
By Ryan Piers
2. Clarkson, Hood, Korver, Love,Nance
The lineup of James, Jae Crowder, Jose Calderon, Love and Smith played more time together than any five-man bunch for the Cavs last season, 354 total minutes. Like most of last October’s roster, the first three players are no longer with the team.
The lineup of Jeff Green, Clarkson, Hood, Korver and Nance played more minutes than any lineup last year not including James or Dwyane Wade. The crew shared the floor for 50 minutes over six-game span. During that stretch, they handcuffed their opponents, holding them to a 95.5 defensive rating. It’s the Cavs’ second most impressive defensive rating from any five-man lineup that saw consistent playing time.
So utilize those four together and add Love. The mesh makes sense. It’s a mold of the hyper-athletic Nance and Hood, both solid defenders. Korver is the reliable shooter while Clarkson creates at the point. Ultimately, they all blend well around the reliable big man, Love.
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One can see Clarkson bumping off a pick-and-pop with Love while Korver and Hood wait idle in the corners. The defense either gifts Love with an open look by helping Clarkson, or cedes the lane if it stays on the big man. Clarkson then drives, likely finding Nance for an easy dunk if the post defender helps. If either Korver or Hood’s men leave to chase Clarkson, that leaves open a reliable corner shooter (assuming Hood has a bounce-back year).
It’s a solid, contemporary lineup that fits in with today’s pick-and-roll, spacing-focused NBA. This could be a competitive starting five.
It’s also an efficient bunch, with a 1.82 assist-to-turnover ratio and +9.2 net rating. By comparison, the aforementioned James, Crowder, Calderon Love and Smith lineup’s net rating was +8.3. So, the Love, Clarkson, Hood, Korver, Nance combo certainly has potential.