Cleveland does not need to look hard to find its biggest offseason flaw. Just replay the Eastern Conference finals. Knicks jerseys crowded the paint, Mitchell Robinson carved out rebounding position before shots even reached the rim, and Karl-Anthony Towns added another big body around the glass. Jalen Brunson kept dragging Cleveland deep into possessions until another defensive compromise appeared.
That series exposed the Cavaliers interior depth problem in the harshest possible setting. New York outrebounded Cleveland 46.0 to 36.8 per game during the four-game sweep. The gap was not the product of one freakish night. Cleveland lost the physical battle across an entire series.
The Cavaliers still had Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, one of basketball’s better starting frontcourts. Even with that duo, Cleveland struggled once possessions slowed and every missed shot became another wrestling match underneath the rim. Finding reliable bodies behind Mobley and Allen is no longer a luxury. It should sit near the top of Cleveland’s training-camp checklist.
The Cavaliers do not need another star. They need someone Kenny Atkinson can trust for ten difficult minutes without immediately reaching for one of his starters.
The problem starts when Mobley or Allen sits
Cleveland knows what it has at the top. Mobley averaged 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds last season, while Allen contributed 15.4 points and 8.5 boards. Together, they give Cleveland rim protection, finishing, length and enough mobility to handle several defensive coverages.
The trouble begins when one leaves the floor. Playoff basketball hunts those moments, and a strong opponent will see the backup center check in and immediately change the attack. Brunson does not need an invitation. He calls for another screen, gets the reserve big moving laterally and forces the defense to make a choice.
That pressure showed up repeatedly against New York. In Game 1 of the conference finals, Cleveland carried a 22-point fourth-quarter lead and still lost in overtime. Brunson finished with 38 points as the Knicks kept extending possessions and attacking whatever advantage appeared.
One possession became two. A defensive rotation stretched. Somebody missed a box-out, and suddenly a comfortable lead had disappeared.
The frontcourt question has become even sharper since that series because two useful pieces have left. Dean Wade signed with Philadelphia after starting a career-high 38 games for Cleveland last season. More importantly, Atkinson still trusted him for nearly 20 minutes per game during the conference finals.
Larry Nance Jr. departed as well. His timeline deserves clarification because Cleveland fans remember his original exit in 2021. Nance returned to the Cavaliers in July 2025 for a second stint, appeared in 35 games last season, then signed with Indiana this July.
Neither player carried Cleveland’s offense, and that was never the point. Wade supplied positional size and floor spacing. Nance brought a 245-pound frame, veteran instincts and another body capable of absorbing physical frontcourt minutes.
Now those options are gone. One rolled ankle or two quick fouls for Mobley could make Cleveland’s bench feel very small.
Dean Wade leaves more behind than five points per game
Wade’s 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds hardly screamed indispensable rotation player. His usefulness lived in the possessions that rarely make highlight reels. At 6-foot-9 and 228 pounds, he could absorb contact from bigger forwards without wrecking Cleveland’s spacing.
That versatility gave Atkinson choices. Wade could play beside Allen while pulling a defender away from the lane. Next to Mobley, he could handle some of the heavier forward assignments and allow Cleveland’s best defender to stay closer to the basket.
Those combinations mattered because Mobley cannot cover every problem at once. Send him toward Brunson on the perimeter and Cleveland loses its best rim protector for several seconds. Keep him planted around the lane and somebody else must deal with the opposing forward.
A flexible reserve gives Mobley freedom rather than another emergency to solve.
That is why Cavaliers interior depth cannot be judged by counting everyone on the roster who stands 6-foot-8 or taller. Cleveland needs players who can finish a real playoff possession. They must hold their ground, box out, survive a switch and remain useful enough offensively that opponents cannot simply ignore them.
New York had already shown Cleveland what could happen months before the conference finals. During a February meeting, Mitchell Robinson grabbed 16 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. By May, the same weakness had become a series-long problem.
The warning was there well before the sweep.
Thomas Bryant helps, but Cleveland already knows the limitation
Bringing back Thomas Bryant on a one-year deal made sense. Bryant averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 60 games last season. He can finish around the basket, provide energy and stretch his offense farther from the rim than Allen.
That shooting matters because a reserve center who can step outside creates another driving lane for Donovan Mitchell. It also gives Atkinson a different shape for the second unit.
Still, one postseason number hangs over Bryant’s role: 4.6 minutes per game.
That was all Atkinson trusted him for across nine playoff appearances. Cleveland can value Bryant as an 82-game rotation piece while acknowledging what happened once the stakes rose. A championship contender needs at least one reserve big who can remain playable when opponents start attacking every defensive weakness.
Bryant’s offense solves part of the equation. The rest remains open. Cleveland still needs someone who rebounds through traffic and can handle a stronger forward without immediately asking Mobley for help.
That same player must move well enough to survive briefly on the perimeter. Brunson and other elite guards will test that ability immediately, pulling a vulnerable big into screening actions until Atkinson either changes the coverage or removes him.
That is the standard Cleveland must use now.
Ernest Udeh Jr. brings the physical profile Cleveland lacks
If Bryant represents the known option, Ernest Udeh Jr. might be the most interesting unknown. The undrafted rookie arrives at 6-foot-11 and 266 pounds, and those measurements alone make him relevant to Cleveland’s frontcourt problem.
Udeh averaged 9.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks during his final college season at Miami while shooting 72.7 percent from the field. He also earned ACC All-Defensive Team honors and finished as one of college basketball’s strongest defensive rebounders.
That profile fits the dirty work Cleveland needs. Nobody needs Udeh catching the ball on the block ten times a night or creating offense for himself. Cleveland needs him hitting somebody when the shot goes up, holding the box-out, protecting the rim and completing the possession.
Against New York, those basic jobs became painfully difficult. Robinson did damage before the ball ever reached his hands because his positioning forced Cleveland defenders backward. A 266-pound reserve at least gives Atkinson another body capable of meeting that force.
For Cleveland’s depth picture, Udeh deserves a legitimate audition. There is also an obvious danger in getting carried away with what he might become.
He went undrafted and currently occupies a two-way contract. NBA centers are stronger, faster and far more skilled than the players he handled in college. One impressive rebounding season does not make him ready for a conference-finals rotation.
Camp needs to find out how far away he really is. Put him against Allen. Make him defend Mobley. Let Cleveland’s guards drag him into pick-and-rolls. If he survives, Atkinson has something. If he cannot, the front office gets its answer early enough to act.
Tomlin gives Atkinson a different experiment
If Udeh brings raw power, Nae’Qwan Tomlin offers almost the opposite. Tomlin stands 6-foot-8 but weighs only 210 pounds. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds last season, and Cleveland converted him to a standard NBA deal in February.
His length jumps off the screen, and so does his movement. Tomlin can cover ground, run the floor and potentially help Cleveland build faster defensive lineups around Mobley. Against smaller opponents, that skill set has real value.
But asking him to serve as Cleveland’s bruising interior answer would be a massive stretch. At 210 pounds, Tomlin does not have the frame to spend long stretches wrestling with Robinson-sized centers. Bigger forwards can also bury lighter defenders underneath the basket before the rebound even comes off.
Training camp should define his role instead of forcing one onto him. Pair Tomlin with Mobley and let him chase quicker forwards. Try him beside Allen when Cleveland wants more speed at power forward. See whether his length can compensate for some of the strength disadvantage.
Those experiments could strengthen the Cavaliers interior depth rotation without pretending Tomlin is something he is not. He is a mobile forward, and that can still help.
Mobley should not spend the season plugging every hole
Mobley’s versatility creates a strange roster-building temptation. Because he can do almost everything defensively, Cleveland can convince itself that he will solve whatever problem appears.
That approach comes with a cost. Every time Mobley leaves the paint to cover a weak perimeter defender, the Cavaliers lose their best rim protector. When he takes the opponent’s strongest frontcourt assignment, somebody else must clean the glass.
His versatility should be a weapon, not emergency repair tape. Adding one dependable reserve big would let Atkinson choose how to deploy Mobley instead of having matchups make that decision for him.
Picture a seven-game series against a physical opponent. Allen picks up his third foul midway through the second quarter, and Atkinson looks toward the bench. He should not have to choose between exhausting Mobley, accepting a rebounding mismatch or using a reserve he does not trust defensively.
That is where roster depth becomes real. Not in November or during a preseason game, but in the eight minutes when a playoff opponent smells weakness.
Training camp has to become a genuine frontcourt audition
Cleveland should use September to stress-test every possible solution. Bryant needs minutes beside Mobley, not only as Allen’s direct replacement. Udeh should spend practices battling established NBA bodies, while Tomlin deserves reps against both forwards and wings so the coaching staff can identify exactly where his length helps.
Then the Cavaliers should ignore the preseason scoring totals for a while and watch the misses.
Who finds a body before chasing the rebound? Who gets knocked underneath the rim? Which reserve communicates when the guard turns the corner, and who can switch onto a smaller player for five seconds without opening a straight-line drive?
Those possessions will tell Cleveland far more about its interior depth than somebody scoring 16 points against third-stringers.
The front office should also preserve room for another move. If Udeh looks a year away and Tomlin cannot survive against stronger forwards, Koby Altman should not wait for January to admit it. Cleveland would benefit more from a low-usage, rebound-first veteran than another scorer.
The job description does not need to become complicated. Find a big who can defend both frontcourt positions for short stretches and survive enough movement on the perimeter to avoid becoming unplayable. Then ask him to rebound.
Cleveland already has plenty of players who can score. What Atkinson needs is someone capable of keeping Mobley on the bench for another two minutes without the game tilting against him.
Those two minutes can swing a playoff game.
May already gave Cleveland the answer sheet
Training camp will generate louder stories. Mitchell will draw attention, Mobley’s next offensive step will become a daily discussion, and coaches will unveil new actions. Every young player who scores 20 in a preseason game will inspire optimism. The Cavaliers interior depth problem will look boring by comparison, but May will not care.
New York averaged 46 rebounds to Cleveland’s 36.8 in the Eastern Conference finals and swept the series. Robinson and Towns kept bodies around the rim, while Brunson attacked every compromise Cleveland made behind them. Mobley and Allen could not erase every mistake, nor should Cleveland expect them to.
A stronger reserve frontcourt would allow Bryant to fill the offensive role that suits him. Udeh could become the physical rebounder Cleveland currently lacks, while Tomlin might give Atkinson a quicker option against smaller lineups. If none of those answers proves trustworthy, Cleveland should find another one.
The window has reached the stage where regular-season adequacy no longer counts for much. A backup big surviving December against a lottery team tells Cleveland almost nothing about what happens when Robinson is leaning into him with the season on the line. The real test is whether someone behind Mobley and Allen can absorb contact, finish the possession and keep the defense intact.
Cleveland already knows the cost when that answer is no. Before camp ends, the Cavaliers need to know who can make it yes.
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