The Cavs Are Rolling Out a 2K-Style Starting Lineup With James Harden and Donovan Mitchell

The Cleveland Cavaliers are officially rolling out a starting five that sounds like a late-night NBA 2K MyLeague simulation where someone accidentally turned off the salary cap. According to Underdog NBA, Cleveland will start James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen on Wednesday.

This is the kind of lineup that makes you immediately question how the geometry of a basketball court is supposed to work. You have two guards who historically treat passing as a secondary suggestion, one young wing tasked with doing all the perimeter dirty work, and two traditional bigs building a wall in the paint.

"Underdog NBA reported the starting lineup change."

Cleveland is testing this group out against the Washington Wizards, looking to build on a two-game winning streak. The Cavs just survived back-to-back shootouts, dropping 125 points on the Brooklyn Nets and 127 on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Offense clearly is not the problem right now, but the usage-rate tug-of-war is going to be fascinating. Harden and Mitchell sharing a backcourt means there is exactly one basketball for two guys who are used to having it on a string for 20 seconds a possession.

For anyone staring at the prop markets, this starting five is an absolute headache. Trying to guess which guard gets the hot hand or whether Mobley or Allen steals the bulk of the rebounds is basically a coin flip until we see how the rotation staggers.

We will find out quickly if this group can actually share the floor without stepping on each other's toes. If they keep hanging 125 points on teams, the spacing concerns will not matter, but if the ball sticks, this could turn into a very expensive game of your-turn, my-turn.