David Blatt fell into an incredible opportunity as a rookie NBA head coach, learning that LeBron James would be returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers just weeks after he agreed to take over the team. While the roster is still a work in progress, one of the first items that Blatt is going to have to address is lineup construction around James, specifically regarding the big men on the Cavaliers roster.
After three seasons with the Miami Heat, a near perfect roster (in theory, although arguably not in execution) was built around James. The best five-man regular season lineup for the Heat which included James was James, Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Rashard Lewis, which outscored its opponents by 23.1 points per 100 possessions. The lineup includes five players who have to be respected around the three point line, opening tons of space for James to finish at the rim, as we see in the frame below.
