Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 reasons for their undefeated start

3. Dynamic Frontcourt

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a loaded frontcourt full of players who have delivered timely performances this season. From former All-Stars like Andre Drummond and Kevin Love to an early Most Improved candidate in Larry Nance Jr. – this team is loaded with frontcourt talent.

Larry Nance Jr. 

It’s hard to overstate how impactful Larry Nance Jr. has been for the Cavs this season. His all-around skill set is on full display and his versatility has helped propel them to their 3-0 start.

Nance is a 6’7″ forward who can play multiple positions. He started at the three against Philadelphia and has had spurts of playing time at the four and five positions. Nance’ quick feet and 7’1″ wingspan helps him properly defend both the perimeter and restricted area at a respectable rate.

The Cavs have benefited greatly from Nance’s ability to do it all. He is rebounding, creating plays and defending at a high rate. Through three games, Nance is averaging 8.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals with shooting splits of 56/57/100.

Andre Drummond

The four-time rebounding champ is once again leading the NBA in rebounding with an average of 14.7 boards per game and a total of 44 on the season. Andre Drummond has delivered a healthy dose of simultaneously destroying and carrying the Cavaliers on both ends of the flood, and he has been the root of nearly every good and bad thing that happens to the team.

For some reason, the Cavaliers have decided to rely heavily on post-ups featuring Drummond. He leads the league in post touches with nearly double the number of possessions as the runner up, Nikola Jokic.

In the post, Drummond is recording a brutal 0.83 points per possession, scoring on less than 50 percent of his attempts and turning the ball over on 20 percent of his touches.

Still, when looking at his averages of 20.3 points, 14.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.7 blocks – and the second-best Defensive Rating of any Cavs’ starter – it’s hard to say Drummond isn’t helping the team win games.

Isaac Okoro and Kevin Love

Both Isaac Okoro and Kevin Love have only appeared in two games apiece, so we will lump them together here to summarize their performances quickly.

Thus far, Love has taken a backseat role to the rest of the team as he is attempting just the fifth most shots on the team and averaging only 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. Nonetheless, his veteran presence and threat as a shooter have opened up things for Cleveland and he is a welcomed sight in the lineup.

As for the rookie, much of his impact hasn’t shown up in the stat sheet yet. Okoro scored 0 points in 41 minutes against Detroit, but his gritty perimeter defense and willingness to play within his role kept him on the floor during winning time.

Okoro has a Defensive Rating of 100.6 and the three-man lineup of Okoro, Darius Garland and Collin Sexton has the highest Net Rating (+13.8) of any trio in Cleveland to appear in at least 48 minutes together.