Cleveland Cavaliers: Is the three-big lineup working?

In an era where traditional big men are being phased out of rotations, the Cleveland Cavaliers are going against the grain by playing three seven-footers together in the starting lineup.

However, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Lauri Markkanen are far from “traditional” bigs. While Allen might be the closest to the classic mold of an interior-focused center, his athleticism and versatility have surprised opponents. He has had full freedom to reign terror in the paint as the five.

Meanwhile, Mobley was drafted as a unicorn prospect who could do it all. Freakish height combined with elite athleticism has given Mobley the ability to share the floor with any lineup J.B. Bickerstaff wants to experiment with.

Then there is Markkanen. A seven-foot marksman who prefers to spend his time on the three-point line. Though he is off to a slow start from deep, this dynamic has opened the door for Cleveland to play three bigs together in the first place.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are going against the grain by playing three seven-footers together in the starting lineup. But, is the three-big lineup working?

This lineup comes with obvious questions.

Playing defense in the modern NBA is more complicated than ever. There is a growing need for players who can defend multiple positions and switch through screens. Versatility has never been more important.

For this reason, the idea of playing three seven-footers next to each other seems like a problematic one. In general, big men specialize in protecting the rim and only a few can respectably move their feet on the perimeter.

As for offense, the lack of spacing provided by Allen (a non-shooter), Mobley (an underdeveloped shooter), and Markkanen (a streaky shooter) could cost the Cavaliers in the space-and-pace era. Would the paint be too cluttered?

Well, for better or worse, the Cavaliers are determined to find out. The team has jumped out to an encouraging 5-4 start. But, how much of their success is due to this three-big experiment?

With Markkanen and Kevin Love both in health and safety protocols, this feels like a good opportunity to reflect on the sample size we have to analyze the three-big lineup thus far.