by Ah yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
What feels like an eternity ago, the Cavaliers are back with the same roster but with a new leader at the helm. Kenny Atkinson, who was previously an assistant coach under Steve Kerr for the Golden State Warriors and won an NBA championship with the team in 2022, debuted his team in front of a great home crowd last night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Granted it is just preseason, there were key differences in this Cavs team compared to last year within a few minutes of watching the game. Let’s go over those differences and how it can potentially shape their 2024-25 season.
The Cavs are demanding more from Evan Mobley
The very first play of the night was a pass to Evan Mobley on the left wing who used his strength to back down his defender and score a tough bucket inside with a nice short hook. The Cavs went to Mobley right away. A common knock on Mobley in his first few years in the league is his lack of aggressiveness. Seeing the very first play of the year be an Evan Mobley back down into the paint is a very good sign that Kenny Atkinson knows that he needs more touches to unlock his true potential. Part of the reason Atkinson was hired was his plan to help Mobley become the type of player we know he can become.
Mobley went on to score 19 points in 19 minutes last night along with 6 rebounds. He also led the teams in shot attempts. If Mobley can keep this aggressiveness and Atkinson keeps designing plays meant for Mobley, we could see a new facet of his game begin to unfold. Activate Mobley early on, get him the confidence he needs to find that aggressiveness, If the Cavaliers want to become true NBA contenders, they absolutely need Evan Mobley to reach his full potential. The Cavs must use the regular season for Mobley to find his true stride. It was a good sign to actually see that plan begin.
The Cavs will run, run, run
If Cavs fans could describe the offense under J.B Bickerstaff the last couple of years, it would be slow. The Cavs were ranked 22nd in offensive pace last season. Holding the ball too late into the shot clock, dribbling in one spot while everyone else spreads out and simply watches, no movement whatsoever. The offense was barebones. It seemed if the first screen did not work, there was no backup plan.
With Kenny Atkinson, his focus is on pace and flow. Just last night out of a timeout, Atkinson called a play where Allen set a screen up top with Mobley quickly cutting off his defender and successfully leading to an easy score. A play that took less than five seconds to unfold. This type of quick movement is what this team desperately needs. The Cavs have two incredible rim-runners in Mobley and Allen, so being able to utilize their height and speed is what can keep this team in games. Just last night, seeing Mobley take the ball coast-to-coast was a sight for very sore eyes.
What also stands out from last night is the volume of shots from the perimeter and in the paint. Almost half of the team’s shot attempts were threes. Quick, high-quality shots is what an Atkinson offense is predicated on. According to Chris Fedor, “during training camp the Cavs would use a shortened shot clock to encourage quick threes”. Well, that was on full display last night with the Cavs playing at the highest pace of any team.
Darius Garland could be back to his old self
Last year was a disappointing year for Darius Garland. While still averaging 18 points and 6.5 assists per night, Garland simply was not the same player we saw from years prior. Garland, who relies on his shiftiness and speed, seemed slow and hesitant. One could blame the jaw surgery Garland had to repair a fractured jaw he suffered in December. While having his jaw wired shut post-surgery, Garland lost twelve pounds over the course of his recovery and deemed it “the worst injury of his career.”
Now that a whole off-season has passed, Garland certainly looks like his old self, perhaps even a little stronger. It is definitely noticeable that he has put on some muscle this off-season. As for his play, Garland was not afraid to let the ball fly last night. From off-dribble step-back threes to off-screen catch-and-shoots, Garland did it all. Six of Garland’s 10 shot attempts were from deep. If this is a sight of things to come for the Cavs this season, we could be seeing Garland bouncing back to his 2021 form, being aggressive and using his speed to his advantage once again.
