The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a solid core group of players over the past few seasons. With the quartet of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, they only need a fifth player in the starting lineup. This season, it has been Jaylon Tyson, as he provides energetic play on both sides of the game.
In the Cavaliers' game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, head coach Kenny Atkinson switched up his starting lineup. He inserted Craig Porter Jr., who is another point guard, which meant Mitchell was the de facto small forward.
Atkinson wanted specific matchups for his starters
This season, the Cavaliers have been pretty underwhelming, especially when compared to what they have done in the 2024-25 campaign. They were the best team in the Eastern Conference, but now, they are fighting in the middle of the pack.
Before the 2025-26 season started, most people thought the Cavs and the New York Knicks would be the favorites to contend for the East. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, it seems like the Knicks are the only team meeting expectations.
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The Cavaliers are looking for solutions to get back and become contenders again. They still have the second half of the season to play, so they want to build momentum and become the team they want to be. Against the Timberwolves, Atkinson pulled the trigger on a big decision, which was tapping Porter as a starter.
"I was thinking about his defense, and quite honestly, I think he did a pretty good job on Edwards. He (Edwards) was not the one hurting us, it was DiVincenzo and Randle, kind of role players that did a lot of the damage. Edwards did a lot of damage late, but early, I think CP did a pretty good job on him," Atkinson said after the loss to Minnesota.
Specific matchups are a good way to game plan against teams, especially against the superstars. Moving forward, the Cavaliers would love to utilize Porter, Tyson, DeAndre Hunter, and Max Strus to serve as the fifth man in the core group. Atkinson has all the tools; he just needs to strike the right balance.
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