Cavs Roll Out Absurd NBA 2K Lineup Featuring Harden, Mitchell, and Thomas

The Cleveland Cavaliers are rolling out a starting five on Saturday that looks like it was drafted by a teenager playing NBA 2K with the salary cap turned off. According to Underdog NBA, Cleveland will start James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Cam Thomas, Christian Watson, and Evan Mobley against the New York Knicks.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Cavs are starting three guards who need the ball in their hands to survive, a defensive anchor in Mobley, and Watson. If you are holding tickets or betting slips for this game, you are essentially investing in a chaotic social experiment.

"Underdog NBA: 'Lineup alert: Cavs will start Harden, Mitchell, Thomas, Watson, Mobley on Saturday.'"

Mitchell is already putting up 22.6 points and nearly six assists a night this season. Meanwhile, Harden has been on an absolute tear, recently dropping a ridiculous 41-point triple-double with 14 boards and 11 assists.

Throwing Thomas into that backcourt mix means there is exactly one basketball to share among three guys who have never met a shot they did not want to take. The spacing might be incredible, but the usage rates are going to require a congressional hearing.

Cleveland is coming off a brutal 119-95 blowout loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, which explains the urge to shake things up. But this lineup is pure offensive overload.

You have to feel for Mobley. The big man is going to spend his entire Saturday night setting screens, grabbing long rebounds, and sprinting back on defense while the guards take turns playing isolation basketball.

The Knicks are walking into Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to face a lineup that will either score 140 points or completely implode by the second quarter. Bettors should probably look at the over on total points and the under on total passes, because this rotation is going to be pure theater.