For the Cleveland Cavaliers, bigger might just be better…
With both young guards Darius Garland and Collin Sexton out in Sunday night’s 102-101 loss to the Chicago Bulls, guard Ricky Rubio and big man Lauri Markkanen got the start for J.B. Bickerstaff and co. alongside wingman Isaac Okoro, and big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
The lineup stepped up once again and made a big impression on the Cavs fans in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday night.
“Talent, size, skill,” Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters following the loss. “If you have an opportunity to put all of that amount of size on the floor with the skill those guys have, I think you can take advantage of those smaller lineups.”
Bickerstaff continued: “All those guys played well and they found their opportune times to go to work and do what they needed to do to help us on both ends of the floor. … The talent between that group, Evan [Mobley], Kevin [Love], Lauri [Markkanen], Jarrett [Allen], those guys have to get on the floor. We’re fortunate enough that they’re versatile enough that they can be on the floor together.”
All three had their own chance in the spotlight, as the three big men combined for 45 points, 22 boards, and 6 blocks in the loss. Markkanen led the team in scoring with 18 points and added in 3 blocks and 2 steals on defense.
Evan Mobley was all over the court with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists on offense, while also adding 3 blocks and 2 steals of his own on the defensive end. Following the game, Mobley credited the trio’s ability to “cover every portion of the floor” on the defense.
Veteran guard Ricky Rubio had some high praise for the big man lineup after the game: “Lauri [Markkanen] playing at the [small forward]. It's big for us, but we have to adjust to a lot of things. We still need time to see, not if it’s going to work or not, the time is about how we’re going to play with each other on defense.”
Rubio continued: “I think it’s the best lineup I’ve ever played with [on defense]; a lot of length and [athleticism]. On offense, we just have to figure out how to be the best we can be out there. We made some improvements, but we have a long way to go.”
While the titan trio of the Cavaliers roster has a long way to go, the early returns are definitely promising.
