Story by
Kenny Atkinson to adjust Cavaliers rotation to begin season, leaning on more players
- Story by
- Kenny Atkinson to adjust Cavaliers rotation to begin season, leaning on more players
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers brought in Kenny Atkinson to coach virtually the same Cavaliers players who were under J.B. Bickerstaff and, they hope, make the necessary adjustments to take the team to the next level .
One of the initial changes was extending and tweaking the rotations.
Advertisement
The Cavs brought back virtually the same roster from a year ago, re-signing several players to long-term extensions , drafting Jaylon Tyson in the first round and effectively "running it back" again in 2024-25, only with Atkinson at the helm.
Atkinson was largely hired to add a more offensive-minded approach with the hopes a new voice can unlock some of the roster's potential. In the early going this season, much of the focus will be on experimenting to find the best combination of rotations.
It's a process that will evolve as the season progresses.
"I'm still trying to get my feel for this team," Atkinson said. "We talked about switching some things up from what they did last season, and we've done that. But let's see. We need a sample size. I like what we saw in the first game [in Toronto ], but we're going to have to eventually find one that's kind of permanent."
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson reacts during the first half against the Detroit Pistons on Friday in Cleveland.
Cavs tinkering with rotations with Max Strus out with ankle injury
The question isn't just playing time, and who earns what allotment of minutes. It's also about mixing and matching lineups to avoid any dry spells, and instead leaning into consistent production even if all five starters can't be on the floor.
Advertisement
One example of this will play out early in the season with Max Strus sidelined for at least the first six weeks with an ankle injury. Strus' absence will likely lead to Dean Wade or Caris LeVert starting games at the small forward position .
But it won't be as simple as the player the Cavs think is the best fit with the rest of the starting lineup — it's how the second unit performs with that sequence, and how each player fits into different configurations.
"If you start Dean, then you have to think about, 'What's after that?'" Atkinson said. "What does those secondary lineups look like? And then if you want to go small with him at the 5, what does that look like? Starting him takes away some options because he can play both big positions. So we've got to think about that."
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) goes for a rebound against Detroit Pistons forward Paul Reed (7) as Cavs forward Isaac Okoro (35) watches during the first half Friday in Cleveland.
Cavs to figure out minutes for Dean Wade , Caris LeVert , Ty Jerome , others
When healthy, Donovan Mitchell , Darius Garland , Evan Mobley , Jarrett Allen and Strus will be in the starting lineup. The Cavs then have to figure out how to best mix-and-match with Wade, LeVert, Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill , Georges Niang , Isaac Okoro , Craig Porter Jr. , Tristan Thompson and Tyson.
Advertisement
It's a balance to figure out when the Cavs need size versus ballhandling versus 3-point shooting, and how to best manage each lineup. The idea is to limit stretches in which the Cavs are heavily outscored for short periods, which was an issue last season.
It isn't just that the configurations will be different. Atkinson's Cavs will likely feature more players involved in the rotation.
Bickerstaff often leaned on nine- or 10-man rotations at most. Atkinson is leaning toward using 10 or 11 players, and on some nights, 12. Some coaches at times want more limited rotations to allow players to get into a rhythm, or to keep stars on the floor as much as possible. But an extended rotation will lead to a little more flexibility, the ability to be more reactive to opponents and some shorter runs on the floor for some.
"Now, I'm not Steve Kerr. I don't play 12 guys in the first five minutes," Atkinson said, smiling. "But I think you'll see that, especially early on in the season. And then as it gets to crunch time, playoff time, you start to maybe whittle it down a little. But I love playing 10, 11 if possible, and 12 for a game is definitely in the realm of possibility."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers new coach Kenny Atkinson to adjust rotation
