Predicting Cleveland Cavaliers Rotation After All-Star Break

The Cleveland Cavaliers conclude their All-Star break Thursday with a game against the Brooklyn Nets.

With a few guys coming back from injury, and the team still trying to adjust from the trade deadline moves, it’s hard to predict who will be in and out of the lineup.

Here’s what to expect from the rotation for the remainder of the season.

Starters

Four of the five starters are no-brainers. Donovan Mitchell and James Harden will be the two guards, combining for around 50 points per game. They can each handle duties as the shooting guard or point guard, as both are above average playmakers as well.

Jarrett Allen will be holding down the five as he hopes to continue his recent dominant stretch into the second half of the season. Allen, Mitchell and Harden will all likely be playing around 30 minutes per game.

Evan Mobey is the four as he returns after dealing with an injury over the past few weeks. He’ll likely see around 25 minutes until he’s fully healthy.

Now the small forward position is the only one up for debate, and there are three real candidates for it between Dean Wade, Jaylon Tyson and Sam Merrill. My guess would be Tyson, as he provides some energy and high-level defense, while also having the ability to score consistently. Tyson, who will likely get around 20-25 minutes per night, can grow his Most Improved Player case in the back half of the year.

First guys off the bench

Wade will likely be used as the primary big man off the bench, filling in for either Mobley or Allen as needed. Despite being more comfortable as a forward, Wade is the team’s third most consistent big and will be used like it.

Merrill will likely fill in as a guard. Providing the team with some shooting off the bench and coming in during big moments. Both Wade and Merrill should see between 18-22 minutes per game.

The two other recent additions will be the rotational guards with Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder. Ellis may end up being the team’s best guard defender, while Schorder can provide a huge scoring boost coming off the bench. Both should see around 20 minutes per game, with Ellis likely seeing closer to 22.

Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Larry Nance Jr. will be the two other bigs in the rotation, but both have flaws in their game. Nance has been injury prone all year long while Tomlin lacks offense.

Tomlin does make up for it with his defense, which should give him around 15-18 minutes per game, while Nance will be closer to the 10 minute mark. Nance could easily lose his spot in the rotation if Tomlin continues to develop.

Craig Porter Jr. is the last guy who should still see consistent minutes, but it may be decreasing throughout this final stretch. He’s the bottom of the guards in a room that is stacked. While he still provides plenty of scoring and playmaking when called on, he may see his role used more as injury prevention. Porter will likely see 8-12 minutes on any given night, but that number can jump if someone needs some extra rest.

The rest of the bench

Thomas Bryant hasn’t been what Cleveland expected this season, rarely seeing time even in a thin big room.

During the next few weeks he may see between 15-10 minutes as Mobley gets back to full strength, but once that happens, Thomas could drop between 8-5 minutes.

Tyrese Proctor and Tristan Enaruna are the final two Cavaliers in the rotation. Both will typically be inactive in any given game, but could see up to five minutes during decisive wins. 

Riley Minx and Emanuel Miller are also on the roster with two-way contracts. It’s unlikely either sees any serious playing time this year and will be used purely in emergency cases.

The final piece of the puzzle is Max Strus, who has missed the entire season so far. Strus is hopefully getting closer to a return and will likely be activated sometime in this back stretch. It’ll be a slow return for him getting back to game speed, but he can still get up to 20 minutes if he returns to his former self.