What I think I learned:
1. That 3-2 zone defense with Mobley at the top of the key looks pretty good. Markkanen and Allen down low, Mobley at the top of the key and the guards on the wings was pretty effective against the Pacers' starters. Maybe after teams get some film and can game plan it won't be that great, but it looked good last night.
2. Cedi Osman is refusing to go away quietly. 14 points, 3 bounds, and 2 assists in 15 minutes. His 3-point shot looked great; he was 4-for-7. In four preseason games Cedi is hitting an insane 46.7% on 3's and 53.8% overall. His 3-point shot looks much improved over last season when he only hit 30%. I thought that with Windler healthy and possibly Markkanen playing some minutes at the 3 Cedi would be out of the rotation completely. He's refusing to cooperate.
3. Love chipped in with 10 points in 10 minutes and a +7, mostly against their starters. He's also refusing to go away quietly.
4. Dean Wade is a solid reserve but I don't see how he gets any significant minutes.
5. The big lineup of Allen, Mobley and Marky plus Okoro at the 2 and Garland at the 1 gave the Pacers' starters all kinds of problems.
6. As for the tryout guys, I liked Nembhard and Ballock. Nembhard is very quick and athletic and had a nice game against the Pacers' backups with 9 pts, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in 19 minutes. The guy is 6'5" and has NBA athleticism from what I could see. I don't know how he's been doing in practices and scrimmages but he looked like decent project to me. He's 22.
Ballock displayed a very quick release on his 3-point shots and knocked down 3-of-5. He had 12 points in 16 minutes along with three boards. He's also 6'5" and we could use some taller guys who can hit from deep. Ballock is already 23 so I don't know if he has an NBA future but I could definitely see him in the G League along with Nembhard.
For the entire five-game preseason, what I really liked was the efficiency of the 3-point shooting. Here are the percentages for the guys who will be getting minutes: Markky 46.7%, Sexton 40%, Garland 35.3%, Love 43.8%, Cedi 46.7%, Wade 40%, Windler 50%. The only guys not shooting the 3 well are Okoro (2-for-7) and Rubio (2-for-11). But those last two won't be taking three's except with an expiring shot clock and no other options.
I also liked the option of going with a big lineup, which very few, if any, teams use. It's going to cause some problems.
Rubio had 26 assists in 82 minutes. Second highest was Garland with 16 assists in 95 minutes. Rubio is amazing at getting the ball to shooters in position for a good shot, if not a layup or dunk.
Finally, this team is deeper than maybe any Cavs team I've ever seen with Love, Cedi, Windler, Markkanen, and Rubio coming off the bench, assuming a starting lineup of Allen, Mobley, Okoro, Sexton, and Garland. Guys who got a lot of second team minutes last year like Wade and Stevens don't look to be in the mix.
I'm pretty geeked to watch this team. There are a number of lineups they can use depending on the opponent. I think the second unit is going to outperform most other teams' second units.