Lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, De’Andre Hunter, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
This isn’t the Cleveland Cavaliers’ most-started lineup, but it’s obviously the one they’d prefer to use (at least until Max Strus is healthy), and it finally debuted last week when Darius Garland made his return to the floor.
Cleveland tried seven different sets of starters across its first 10 games, with varying levels of success. This unit saw 73 possessions in the 2024-25 regular season and put up a plus-28.8 net rating.
Between Garland and Mitchell, there’s no shortage of shot-creation. Mobley’s continued development on that front even offers a third source of playmaking. Hunter’s ability to generate his own looks out of a triple-threat setup makes him a helpful complement to Mitchell when the shot clock ticks down and last-resort shot attempts are necessary.
We know what we’re getting with most configurations that include Mitchell, Mobley, Garland and Allen: Two-way excellence that blends size and shotmaking. Hunter could be swapped out for any number of alternatives—Lonzo Ball, Strus, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson—and we’d still hand out a high grade.
