Will This End Up Being A Problem For Cavs?

J.B. Bickerstaff didn't promise Friday night would be a dress rehearsal for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they wrapped up their final preseason game against the Indiana Pacers. However, Darius Garland was ruled out with "something minor" shortly before tip-off officially putting an end to that plan.

This may seem like a nominal inconvenience with it being a singular exhibition game, but there could be a larger issue at hand here. Cleveland has now used a different starting lineup in each of their four preseason games.

Game 1 vs. Atlanta Hawks

Darius Garland
Donovan Mitchell
Caris LeVert
Max Strus
Evan Mobley

Game 2 vs. Orlando Magic

Darius Garland
Donovan Mitchell
Max Strus
Evan Mobley
Damian Jones

Game 3 vs. Maccabi Ra'anana

Ty Jerome
Caris LeVert
Isaac Okoro
Dean Wade
Damian Jones

Game 4 vs. Indiana Pacers

Donovan Mitchell
Caris LeVert
Max Strus
Dean Wade
Evan Mobley

Yes, some of these absences were scheduled rest to give players an opportunity to ramp up for the regular season. However, the Cavaliers have yet to see their planned starting five in a game together due to Jarrett Allen's injury and other players not being available.

Bickerstaff has been adamant that Cleveland's offense will look different than it did last season and there will be more moving pieces. Unfortunately, we've yet to see exactly what it will look like with so many absences. The Cavs also brought in a number of new players over the summer such as Strus, Georges Niang, and Jones, and getting them acclimated could take time.

The team has been working on all of this in training camp over the last two weeks, but there's something to be said for practicing and running through an offense against an NBA opponent.

Time will tell whether or not this will cause chemistry issues on the floor or if it will lead to a slow start for the Cavaliers. Hopefully, everyone can get up to speed when everyone is available.