Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman and Head Coach Kenny Atkinson had the opportunity to speak to the media just days before the Cavs take to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at 11 a.m. EDT on Monday for the team’s Media Day. The pair shared their thoughts on a wide range of topics at the Cleveland Clinic Courts on Friday morning, from extending the lifeline of the team’s central core to setting the team’s expectations for the upcoming season.
The Cavs ended last season with the fourth-place spot in the Eastern Conference and a trip to the East’s Semifinals, where they would ultimately fall in five games to the eventual NBA Champion in the Boston Celtics. Altman was given a contract extension and his current title in early 2022 during a season that saw Cleveland make a meteoric rise in the East standings, the same year the Cleveland Guardians booked their trip to the American League Divisional Series for the first time since 2018. In late June, the Cavs hired Aktinson, a former head coach for the Brooklyn Nets.
Finishing in the “Elite Eight” of this year’s NBA Playoffs was a big step for the squad, said Altman. Taking their next giant leap may be much more challenging.
“The next step of winning rounds in the playoffs is really difficult,” Altman said. “Putting yourself in that position, being healthy, having really successful regular seasons, which we believe is very important, is a part of it. We brought in Kenny (Atkinson) to help us take that next step.”
What were some of the biggest takeaways from Friday’s media availability?
Cavs Continuity Remains Key
Continuity, especially with the right core, can be one of the biggest pieces to winning a championship.
The Cavs brought back guard Donovan Mitchell, forward Evan Mobley, and center Jarrett Allen on lengthy extensions during this year’s offseason, solidifying a core that saw Cleveland make the playoffs for two years in a row. The three scored a combined 58.8 points and brought down a combined 25 rebounds per game, highlighting their importance to a squad with multiple playoff appearances under its belt. They joined guard Darius Garland, who signed a multi-year extension in 2022, and a handful of Cavs contracts that extend through the next few seasons.
“We wanted to keep our best players in town,” Altman said. “We’re big proponents on continuity here, giving this young group a chance to really succeed and give them a runway.
“For us, to build a lifeline of your core in this league and this salary cap structure, it’s hard to do. For us, to have the chance to create the runway for this core was really successful.”
Players who made up 74.7% of Cleveland’s share of minutes played from the last three seasons will return this year, putting it just above the San Antonio Spurs for fourth place in the NBA, according to an early-September article from ESPN Freelance Writer Neil Paine. Atkinson called continuity a “coach’s dream” on Friday, adding internal improvement was huge for this Cavs organization.
Evan Mobley Evolution
Mobley, a finalist for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year during the 2022-23 season, has proven his worth on defense since the Cavs selected him in the 2021 NBA Draft.
His defensive rebounding averages improved from 8.3 to 9.4 from his first to his third year in the league while earning 1.5 blocks per game. He swatted away 2.2 shots per game during last year’s playoffs, putting him just behind Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren for second among players in the postseason.
For Atkinson, Mobley’s growth on the offensive end begins with his usage.
“I think when you look at the top bigs in the league, a lot of good offensive teams play through their bigs now, especially with the (five-out formation),” Atkinson said. “You guys saw it; everybody saw it in the Boston series where he had the ball in his hands a little bit more.
“It starts in transition. Rebound and push. We definitely want to see more of that because the skill level is undeniable.”
Offensive Improvement
Mobley’s assists averages have increased from 2.5 to 3.2 since he first joined the Cavaliers. He peaked at eight assists during a 23-point win over the Charlotte Hornets in March. Mobley showed a proficiency in passing in transition and from at or near the top of the arc and the wings in the halfcourt. Additionally, he paved the way to scores from off-ball cuts, drives to the basket and pull-up jumpers from his teammates, showing just how much he can contribute on offense with his playmaking abilities.
Bigs like Al Horford and Brook Lopez have played on teams with Atkinson as a head or assistant coach in the past. Both improved their 3-point efficiency and increased their attempts during their respective NBA careers. Mobley has taken about 1.3 attempts per game with a career percentage of 26.5%, but hit about 37% of his 1.2 shots per contest last season. Atkinson said he would look for a moderate balance in 3-point attempts from Mobley in comparison to players like Horford or Lopez.
“It’s going to be in the middle,” Atkinson said. “We’ve just got to feel that. I have a good feel for what it looks like already and the timeliness of it. We also have to realize we have (guard) Sam Merrill, (forward) Max Strus, Donovan Mitchell, (Garland).
“I sent Darius and Donovan a stat the other day. [They] are two of the best shooters in the league. Yes, we want (Mobley) to shoot threes, but I don’t know if it’s Brook Lopez nine a game. It’s going to be a balance.”
Trust The Depth
An NBA team can only be as strong as its 15th man.
Cleveland’s bench ranked eighth in the NBA in 3-point percentage with 36.8% and about tenth in the league in assists per game with 8.3 during last year’s regular season. It retained guard Caris LeVert, who proved to be one of the Cavaliers’ more productive scorers during his more than two seasons with the squad, with a two-year extension during the 2023 offseason. The squad may need to improve upon its bench scoring after ending last year’s regular season with an average of 34.4 bench points per game, good enough for 14th place in the NBA.
Atkinson celebrated the team’s depth and highlighted the amount of rotation players the Cavs have on their roster.
“I’m going to play 10 guys right off the bat,” Aktinson said. “I’d even say 11. We have great depth. By developing a bench that prepares you for the playoffs…
“That philosophy, I embrace. I think you’re going to see it during the regular season. We are going to trust our depth and play a lot of guys.”
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