After the 2018 NBA Finals, superstar and future Hall of Famer LeBron James left his original team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, to join the Los Angeles Lakers. The public took the Cavs for dead, much like the last time James left them in 2010 (#1 overall pick in three out of the four years he was gone). The public wasn’t wrong either. The Cavaliers had the top three worst records in the conference for three years after James left.
Then the turnaround: three straight years over .500, including two top-four seeds in the Eastern Conference. Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff orchestrated a total franchise awakening in three years on the job. Last season, the Cavaliers made it to the NBA playoff semifinals. It was the first non-Lebron James Cavs team to go that far since 1993. The team responded by firing Bickerstaff and making zero notable off-season roster changes. Should the Cleveland Cavaliers worry this coming season?
Please check out the rest of the articles in my NBA Worry-Wart Series:
Western Conference Worries
Should the Denver Nuggets Worry This Coming Season?
Should the Los Angeles Clippers Worry This Coming Season?
Eastern Conference Worries
Should the Milwaukee Bucks Worry This Coming Season?
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Defense
The Cleveland Cavaliers were a top-12 team in the league in Defensive Rating for two years. A top-five team in field goal percentage defense last year, all under Bickerstaff. They had to utilize that defense this summer as teams tried desperately to poach star players from their roster. All-Star Donovan Mitchell was rumored to be interested in several teams, including the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets. Cleveland failed to lock Mitchell up before free agency (he was still under contract for a year, yet a star’s trade demand ostensibly ends his time with his current team). Still, the Cavs secured a massive three-year extension with Mitchell.
Jarrett Allen is a star defensive center for the Cavaliers who drew trade interest from several teams despite having two years left on his deal. Jarrett Allen secured a three-year max extension.
With the All-Star ball handler in Mitchell and All-Defensive player in Allen secured, the Cavs ensured no slippage from last year’s semifinalist team.
New Coach, New Philosophy
J.B. Bickerstaff navigated extensive injury issues to overachieve, yet many felt he left something to be desired on the offensive end. Bickerstaff wasn’t immediately fired after the season due to his results, but offseason conversations led the front office to believe they had reached a ceiling with Bickerstaff regarding philosophy.
Kenny Atkinson Fast Facts
The Cavaliers hired Coach Kenny Atkinson away from the Golden State Warriors staff to juice the offense while maintaining the defense. Here are a few quick nuggets on his background.
- He has coached numerous Hall of Famers and All-Stars, from Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudamire to Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.
- His coaching philosophy is likely influenced by his assistant coaching tenures with Mike D’Antoni and Steve Kerr. Each had explosive offenses.
- Coach Atkinson drafted and coached Jarrett Allen during his head coaching stint with the Brooklyn Nets (Brooklyn later traded Allen in a four-team deal to acquire James Harden).
- Atkinson was the assistant coach for phenom Victor Wembanyama, Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, and Team France in the Olympics last month.
- Atkinson won a championship as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors in 2022
- He is responsible for turning Brook Lopez into the three-point threat he has become in his career.
Those last two bullets are critical. Right now, the Cavaliers’ roster has two center anchors, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Mobley already proved to be a reliable outside threat at 37% from three. If Atkinson can unlock last year’s 23rd-ranked offense with a Warriors-style upgrade, the Cavs can be dangerous.
Should the Cleveland Cavaliers Worry This Coming Season?
The front office is signaling that the current roster can achieve more by firing the coach and making no changes other than adding draft picks.
I’m inclined to believe them. No, the Cleveland Cavaliers should not worry this coming season. This Cavaliers team has a similar feel (roster construction-wise) to the 2004 Detroit Pistons, who won the NBA championship. That Pistons team was already a defensive force when they made a coaching change to Hall of Famer Larry Brown. Atkinson is not Larry Brown, but that is good in today’s NBA. Atkinson intends to make the Cavs a top-ten offense in the league. Donovan Mitchell is already a top-level NBA player on offense. Atkinson’s development of Evan Mobley will be the difference there.
Full disclosure: Evan Mobley was my favorite player in the 2021 NBA Draft. Donovan Mitchell was my favorite player during his stint with the Utah Jazz.
Cleveland’s guards can compete with any backcourt in the East (Former All-Star Darius Garland is the current shooting guard). Their roster construction is also more unique than that of any Eastern team, more closely resembling the Minnesota Timberwolves’ roster construction. Minnesota made it to the conference finals last season. The Cavaliers can make it at least that far this coming season.
Photo Credit for featured cover image: Getty Images.
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1 Comment
Any Eastern Conference team that is not the Celtics should be concerned.