Cleveland Cavaliers: Predicting their rotation at full strength

Few teams in the NBA have had less consistency in rotation than the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. They’ve had nine different starting lineups in just 13 games this season as injuries, personal issues and trades have decimated this roster to its core.

It all began when Kevin Love missed the first game of the season. During the same game, Dylan Windler fractured his hand after being sidelined his entire rookie campaign due to a stress fracture in his knee. A game later, Love injured his calf, ruling him out for 3-4 weeks.

The injuries only ramped up from this point on. Darius Garland sprained his shoulder, Dante Exum hurt his Achilles, Collin Sexton twisted his ankle and Andre Drummond sat a game due to Achilles soreness. All the while, Kevin Porter Jr. has been handling personal issues and Matthew Dellavedova has been recovering from a concussion suffered in the preseason.

This left the Cavaliers struggling to put enough bodies on the floor each night, ultimately being approved for the Hardship Exception which allowed them to sign Yogi Ferrell to a 10-day contract. Of course, Ferrell only appeared in two games before being cut to make way for a trade that brought Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince to the Land.

In total, the Cavaliers had 10 players missing from their rotation. In addition to the roughly eight players currently suiting up each night for the Cavs – it’s hard to predict who will fall out of the rotation once things go back to normal. Today, we’ll do our best to create an accurate prediction for the Cavs’ depth chart once they are back at full strength.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ full-strength rotation: Solidified Starters

The easiest part of the rotation to predict is the starting lineup. There are three players who will undoubtedly be in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future – and two more who should remain in the starting five so long as they are on the roster.

Darius Garland

Heading into the season, we weren’t sure how realistic a backcourt of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton would be moving forward. The two undersized guards struggled in their first season together – but due to a revitalized version of Garland, there is hope in Cleveland.

Garland came out the gates firing this season. He is shooting over 10 percent better from the 3-point line as a sophomore thus far and leading the Cavs in assists as their primary playmaker. His initiative as the point guard has been the key to making this backcourt pairing work and we are excited to see how much he can improve as a scorer.

Collin Sexton

The Young Bull has left no doubt in everybody’s mind that he is a prolific scorer at the guard position. Thriving in a more natural role as the two, Sexton is scoring at a career-high rate and rivaling the most efficient shooters in the NBA.

Through eight games, Sexton is averaging 25.1 points on incredible splits of 53.1/51.6/82.9. He is embracing his role as the team’s best scorer and using his speed to be among the league leaders in transition points.

Sexton is separating himself from the pack as the face of the franchise and a potential cornerstone for a future playoff run.

Isaac Okoro

The decision to draft Isaac Okoro is looking better by the day. He has amazing poise for a rookie and is already establishing himself as an elite perimeter defender. Okoro’s impact has been hard to judge through statistics but his feel for the game will pay dividends in the future.

Okoro is an athletic forward with immense potential to become a two-way threat. It’s clear he fits with the team and will be a long-term member of the rebuild.

*Kevin Love

While Garland, Sexton and Okoro seem to have cemented themselves into the future of this franchise – Kevin Love could be playing his final games with the team. His value is plummetting as the young core begins to blossom and a trade could happen any day now.

Love still serves as the Cavaliers’ best player when he’s fully engaged. A former All-Star and reliable shooter from deep, the Cavs will be happy to have Love back in the lineup. Still, it makes more sense for both parties to find a deal that will send Love to a contender in exchange for future assets.

*Andre Drummond

Although Andre Drummond never appeared to be a long-term fit for the Cavaliers, there are rumors that he could be signing an extension with the team soon. This could certainly benefit the team as Drummond is posting All-Star type numbers and leading the team in multiple categories.

Drummond is a dominant paint presence and one of the driving forces behind Cleveland’s massive jump in Defensive Rating. It’s possible he is traded or lost in free agency, but there’s no doubt he makes this team better.