The Cleveland Cavaliers undefeated streak has ended after fifteen games. The Cavaliers have stunned the NBA landscape by being the best team in the league since the season started in October. Cleveland has broken team records with their success and they have dominated teams up and down the spectrum. What are the main reasons for this surprising start? I will be breaking down why the Cavaliers look the best they have looked since LeBron James was on the team.
Kenny Atkinson was the perfect hire
The Cavaliers had success under their previous head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, making multiple playoff appearances since acquiring star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. However, they never made it very far in the postseason and struggled against their competition, the Boston Celtics in particular. Bickerstaff was let go to find the man who could help Cleveland take the next step forward. Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson was hired to make that happen. I have been a huge fan of Atkinson’s for years. He had previously been the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets and took over that team with one of the worst rosters in the NBA. He coached that team into the postseason and developed their players into NBA-caliber players who have gone on to have long and successful careers. Atkinson was then unjustly fired by Brooklyn after the team acquired stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who both preferred a more laid-back coach than the straightforward approach that Atkinson brought to the table. He quickly found a home as an assistant in Golden State, helping them win the NBA championship in 2022. Now with the Cavaliers, Atkinson has set the right tone for the squad by implementing an unselfish offense and getting all of his talent involved. Team basketball usually wins out, and that style of play has worked wonders for this team so far this season and should work well going forward as the chemistry of the group continues to harden.
Sharing is Caring
Last year, the Cavaliers relied a lot on Donovan Mitchell to score the basketball. His usage rate was way higher than anyone on the team and the rest of their team was left in the dust. The team was imbalanced, and Atkinson recognized that to get the most out of this group, the ball had to be in another playmaker’s hands besides Mitchell every single possession. All-star guard Darius Garland has benefited from this change, as is averaging 22 points and 7 assists a game with high efficiency. These numbers are close to his numbers when he was the number-one option for the Cavs before Mitchell was on the roster. Garland’s confident and decisive play has helped take the load off Mitchell’s shoulders and make the team more unpredictable in trying to defend their offensive attack. Center Jarrett Allen, guard Caris LeVert and point guard Ty Jerome have also thrived with more opportunities with the basketball, but no player on the team has changed more for the better than Evan Mobley.
Letting Evan Mobley loose
Mobley has had the reins on the offensive side of the ball since he entered the NBA as the third overall pick. He had been mostly used by the Cavaliers as a roll man and was rarely given the tasks to create for himself and others with the ball. This at times led to Mobley not being as fully engaged as he could have been, especially when they already had Jarrett Allen acting as the roll man for the group. This year, Atkinson has deployed Mobley by giving him that added offensive role that he had been searching for. He is driving to the basket and scoring at the basket, making good passes and finding his open teammates, and continuing to play good defense at the power forward spot while using his bending athleticism at his height. He has increased his scoring from 15 to 18 points a game while keeping his rebounding, assist, and block numbers consistent. A recipe for success that has contributed to the Cavaliers’ blazing start.
Simply put, the Cleveland Cavaliers have made small changes that have unlocked the ceiling for this group. While the Cavaliers will not go 82-0, this team can continue the success they have had to a high degree and they look like a team primed for the playoffs. I would bet they will have more postseason success than under the Bickerstaff years.
