Game Night Observations: Figuring out the rotation, increasing Dean Wade's role, and Donovan Mitchell the All-Star starter
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Danny Cunningham covers the Cleveland Cavaliers for 850 ESPN Cleveland and thelandondemand.comThursday night in Houston wasn’t necessarily a game that showed a bunch of new things about the Cavaliers, but it was a chance for them to pick up a much-needed road victory over a subpar Houston Rockets team by the score 113-95.
After Tuesday night’s loss in New York, a relatively stress-free win while Donovan Mitchell sat out due to the groin injury that’s been plaguing him recently. Winning on the road hasn’t been easy very often for the Cavs, but Thursday night was the best they looked on the road this season.
Whether they looked good because something clicked or because the Rockets are the worst team in basketball is up for interpretation, but it’s certainly more likely that it’s the latter.
The Cavs had big nights from both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley in the win, with Garland filling up the stat sheet with 26 points and nine assists while Mobley finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jarrett Allen had a double-double as well, with 14 points and 10 boards.
With the Cavs in action again on Friday night in Oklahoma City, keeping the minutes of every starter below 35 could be a boost to Cleveland’s chances of winning against the Thunder.
Rotation watch
With Mitchell sitting out and Kevin Love missing the game with back spasms, the Cavs rotation was naturally going to look different. But the biggest thing to take away from Thursday was that the rotation was a bit shorter during the first half. On Tuesday night in New York, the Cavs played 11 different players in the first half against the Knicks. Thursday in Houston it was just eight.
Yes, Love and Mitchell obviously knocks that number down, but it’s worth noting that they weren’t replaced in the rotation. Their absence meant more minutes for Ricky Rubio and Dean Wade (more on him later). The only active player that played in the first half on Tuesday but not on Thursday was Lamar Stevens.
With Wade back in the lineup, there may not be room for both Stevens and Osman in the rotation on a regular basis. That situation could be one that’s matchup dependent. On nights the Cavaliers need a bit more defensively, Stevens could see those minutes, while on other nights where the team needs a bit of a shooting boost and energy off the bench, playing Osman makes sense.
It didn’t necessarily matter that much with the majority of this game played with the Cavs leading by double digits, but it is something to keep an eye on moving forward. When Mitchell is back, that obviously shrinks down minutes for the others, and the same can be said of Love. But Thursday night all eight Cavs that played in the first half played nearly eight minutes. That’s a good place to be and something that can be repeated even if the rotation is 10 guys deep with Love and Mitchell.
What Wade brings
Thursday night’s performance by Wade was exactly what the Cavs needed to see from him. He finished with 15 points thanks in part to four made 3-pointers and played solid defensively. It was just his third game back after missing seven weeks with shoulder and ankle injuries and he played the most minutes in those games, finishing at nearly 23 minutes.
Wade’s extended look tonight certainly could have been part of the plan as he continues to be ramped back into game shape, but it also likely had something to do with Love being out with back spasms. The two players have similar responsibilities when they’re on the floor, even if their skillsets aren’t identical.
For the better part of the last two months, Love hasn’t been able to perform up to his standard offensively. Since suffering a fracture in his thumb back on Nov. 18, Love is shooting just 30.8 percent from 3-point range. He still provides help by way of rebounding, but the Cavaliers have been outscored by their opponents when he’s on the floor over that stretch.
This isn’t to say that Love shouldn’t play anymore, because there still is a role for him, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise if a healthy Wade starts to play more than Love.
An All-Star Starter
The Cleveland Cavaliers will have an All-Star starter next month in Salt Lake City. It was announced on Thursday night that Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell was named to one of the two starting positions given to Eastern Conference backcourt players.
Mitchell finished tied for the best weighted score amongst the Eastern Conference backcourt players. He finished second in voting amongst fans and players and first among media votes.
Mitchell has been nothing short of fantastic in his first season on the Cavaliers. In 41 games this season Mitchell is averaging a career-high 28.3 points per game with four rebounds and 4.8 assists. He’s doing it more efficiently than ever, with career-best marks from the floor, 3-point range, and the free throw stripe.
The starting nod for Mitchell is the first of his career and is his fourth All-Star appearance overall. He becomes the first member of the Cavs to be named an All-Star starter since LeBron James in 2018.
Mitchell is joined by Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant as well as Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo as the All-Star starters from the Eastern Conference. The All-Star starters in the Western Conference are Los Angeles’ James, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Dallas’ Luka Doncic, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, and New Orleans’ Zion Williamson. James and Antetokounmpo will serve as captains and pick teams prior to the game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on February 19.
As for the potential for additional All-Stars on the Cavs, Garland, Allen, and Mobley will have to be voted in by opposing coaches as reserves. In total, Garland finished tied for eighth in the weighted score among Eastern Conference guards, while Allen and Mobley finished 11th and 14th, respectively, amongst Eastern Conference frontcourt players.
