Under Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cleveland Cavaliers had a very solid 2023-24 campaign. They won 48 games, had a top-10 defense, and won a playoff series against the Orlando Magic. This marked the franchise’s first series win since LeBron James’s departure. Despite the positives and the team’s upward trajectory, President of Basketball Operations Kolby Altman decided to part ways with Bickerstaff after his fifth season. 

The offense had fallen to 18th in the league, and that side of the ball was especially problematic in the Cavs’ two playoff appearances with J.B. at the helm. The players, especially Donovan Mitchell, were not happy having to play heavy minutes on a consistent basis, according to Joe Varden of the Athletic. J.B. has never been known as an offensive guru, and his inability to create a system that allowed center Jarrett Allen and Power Forward Evan Mobley to co-exist on the floor was a significant problem. The Cavs had just a 112.8 offensive rating when those two were on the court last season, which was in the 36th percentile for all lineups, according to CleaningtheGlass. 

Altman decided to hire Golden State Warriors Lead Assistant Kenny Atkinson this offseason. Atkinson had previously been a Head Coach with the Brooklyn Nets, where he prioritized an analytically friendly shot distribution and fast pace. He was fired in 2020 for political reasons (he preferred emerging star Jarrett Allen over aging veteran DeAndre Jordan, which was objectively the correct position to take). For Atkinson, this might have been a blessing in disguise. After his departure from the Nets, he got to work and learn from the likes of Tyronn Lue and Steve Kerr, two of the best coaches in the league. Kenny was a good coach in his first stint, and all of the evidence suggests that he’s grown and evolved into one of the best tacticians in the league.

The first thing the Cavs’ new skipper set out to do was to ramp up the team’s pace. He installed four boxes on the court during training camp, two in the corners and two above the break on each wing. This was to emphasize floor spacing not just in half-court situations but also in transition. Through 15 games, the Cavs are 7th in the NBA in pace after being 24th last year. You can see a few examples of that preseason emphasis paying off – – as the corner spacing effectively allows for Mitchell and Mobley to get to the rim:

I mentioned Atkinson’s analytically focused mindset. He wants his team to attempt lots of threes – – which means giving his best shooters the green light to fire away. This is no more evident than in transition when opportunities materialize while the defense is slow to get matched up:

In the half-court, the Cavs were extremely pick-and-roll heavy under Bickerstaff. Atkinson has done well in varying the playbook and making things less predictable. My buddy Evin Gualberto (@Evin_Gual) noticed this “horns” set the Cavs used against the Bulls in their two recent clashes:

The defense has to contend with the possible back-screen, but Merrill instead ghosts the screen and receives a hand-off from Dean Wade. Patrick Williams, defending Merrill, is a step late defending the hand-off because he’s wary of the back screen. His tardiness creates a hard double on the ball, leaving Ayo Dosunmu with the pick-your-poison choice of stopping a Wade layup or preventing a Mitchell corner three.

The two teams played each other again three days later, and the Cavs used a similar setup with a fun variation:

This time, Mitchell ghosts the backscreen and slips behind the defense for an easy layup instead of taking the hand-off. 

One of the major issues with the offense prior to Atkinson’s arrival was its staticity. Oftentimes, possessions involved a single ball screen on one side of the floor, which made it easy for the defense to lock in on the threat. Now, possessions are constantly moving from one side of the floor to the other – – with weak-side defenders having to deal with pin-downs and flare screens that act as good decoys:

Another way to punish defenses that are locked in on the ball is with cuts. The Cavs getting their bigs the ball at the elbow has opened up back-door cuts:

Cutting seems to be another important emphasis of the Atkinson regime. The team is incredibly locked in on when to cut. Basketball is about creating power-plays, 4-on-3’s, 3-on-2’s, 2-on-1’s, etc. When those advantages are created, cutting helps capitalize on those opportunities:

Dean Wade won’t get any credit for that cut on the box score, but his cut creates the open three for Okoro. Jonathan Kuminga has to guard both Okoro in the corner and Wade on the wing because Kyle Anderson sinks into the paint to provide a third defender on the pick-and-roll. By cutting, Kuminga has to commit to Wade; otherwise, it’s a layup. Good offenses, as I showcased earlier with that “horns” action, create pick-your-poison scenarios for the defense.

The other key component of the increased cutting for the Cavs is that it has improved the double-big lineups’ functionality. I mentioned the Jarrett Allen-Evan Mobley combo having a 112.8 offensive rating last season under Bickerstaff. This year, that number is 124.5, per CleaningtheGlass. Beyond the pace of play and the diversification of the offensive sets, they have gotten Mobley and Allen to participate in the cutting frenzy with great results:

All of the things we’ve discussed have led to the Cavs being #2 in offense and #1 in effective field goal percentage. The other thing a good coach can do, beyond implementing good habits, is to put individual players in roles that fit their skill sets and instill confidence. The two youngest members of the core four, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, are both having career years. The organization has consistently expressed the sentiment that the team can’t get to the lofty heights it desires until Mobley is the team’s best player. Well, we’re not THAT far away from that eventuality:

The Cavaliers are 8.9 points per 100 possessions better when Evan Mobley is on the floor, per CleaningtheGlass. That’s best amongst the starters and a very impressive figure, given how good the team is overall. His offensive versatility has been on full display this season. One of the ways Atkinson has taken advantage of his diversified skill set is by running inverted pick-and-rolls with Mobley as the ball handler (J.J. Redick has done this a lot with Anthony Davis as well):

He’s maintaining the dribble and manipulating the defense like never before. Here, he looks like he might be ready to isolate against Lopez but instead realizes the defender hasn’t maintained contact with Merrill and turns it into a hand-off for an open three:

Mobley has continued to grow as a scorer. He’s hitting a career-high 81.8% from the free-throw line and drawing shooting fouls at a career-high rate (16.3% of his shot attempts), per CleaningtheGlass. He’s never taken a giant leap offensively in a single offseason, nor has he improved his outside shooting enough for defenses to truly respect it, but his incremental progress over the last three years has turned him into an all-star caliber player.

Darius Garland had a very poor 2023-24 season. That may largely have been due to a jaw injury he suffered on December 14th, 2023. He ended up losing weight due to the inability to eat solid food after the surgery, telling Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that at one point, he weighed 170 pounds, which was his weight back in his high school days. I expected a bounce-back year for the young guard out of Vanderbilt, but he’s exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations. This may be considered a hot take – – but he’s been the Cavaliers’ best offensive player thus far. Through 15 games, Garland is hitting 69% of his short mid-range attempts. SIXTY NINE PERCENT (25-36)! Most of those are floaters – – his touch on those shots is exceptional:

He’s also shooting a career-high 64% at the rim. He uses his deft touch to float rainbows off the glass: 

Garland is attempting 42 percent of his shots from three-point range, converting 45% of those shots. His off-the-dribble shotmaking was one of his biggest selling points as a prospect, and he’s become an absolutely lethal shooter:

The Cavs are 8.8 points better offensively per 100 possessions with Darius Garland on the floor, per CleaningtheGlass. His effectiveness at all three levels has been beautiful to watch. He has a true shooting percentage of 66.2%, with a usage rate over 27, per Basketball Reference. He’s used his scoring threat to generate easy looks for his teammates:

The other big difference with the new-look Cavs has been the bench. Cleveland has gotten terrific production from a variety of reserves. Sam Merrill, who broke out under Bickerstaff but was still more of a situational player, has become a permanent fixture of the rotation under Atkinson. Merrill is averaging 9.2 three-point attempts per 36 minutes. His gravity has made things much easier for the Cavs ball-handlers, and they can even run some actions for him:

Another key figure off the bench has been Ty Jerome. Last year, the Cavs struggled to find a backup point guard behind the likes of Mitchell and Garland. LeVert, who we’ll get to in a minute, was under-qualified as a third ball-handler. After missing all but two games last season, Jerome has played in all 15 games thus far. His ability to orchestrate the offense and run pick-and-roll on the second unit is precisely what this team needed. He’s shooting 55% from three (16/29), 60% from short mid-range (15/25), and has a turnover rate of just 10.7%, per CleaningtheGlass. He’s not a gifted athlete, but he’s crafty and extremely skilled:

Mitchell and Garland are both playing less than 32 minutes per game, leaving plenty of time and opportunity for guys like Jerome to make an impact. Atkinson staggers Mitchell and Garland so that one is on the floor most of the time, but in the modern NBA, teams need multiple creators. Jerome can fit next to either of the Cavs’ backcourt stars, providing floor spacing when he’s off the ball and then shifting into lead initiator mode when the ball comes his way:

Jerome’s emergence has shifted Caris LeVert to a more suitable role. Instead of being asked to initiate the offense, he is now more of a three-and-D archetype. LeVert is shooting a ridiculous 48% from downtown, playing terrific defense, and attacking closeouts aggressively with his athleticism:

The Cavs are a whopping 15.4 points better per 100 possessions when LeVert is on the court, the best mark on the team. He’s getting to the rim at a career-best rate, attempting 47 percent of his shots at the basket. He’s also cut out a lot of the inefficient mid-range shots from his diet. Last season, he attempted 28 percent of his shots from the mid-range. This season, that number dropped to 12 percent, according to CleaningtheGlass. He had some of his best years under Atkinson in Brooklyn, so seeing the new coach has a positive effect is not surprising. 

Dean Wade and Georges Niang deserve shout-outs for making this such a deep team. Wade is a terrific defender, capable of moving his feet on the perimeter, holding his own in the post, and providing secondary rim protection. The Cavs just look huge and imposing when he’s on the floor:

Niang is hitting 37% of his threes and can do slightly more off the bounce than you might expect. The team hopes fellow sharpshooter Max Strus will return this month – – further bolstering what is arguably the deepest team in the league. 

When it comes to the defense, the famous adage “When it’s not broke, don’t fix it” sums up the Cavs’ strategy under Atkinson. They have been a top 6 defense each of the last three years. The impressive part about what Atkinson is doing is that they have been able to maintain that level while also playing more offensive-centric players. But even with the likes of Garland and Mitchell, who don’t have the most outstanding track records as defenders, the staff is getting them to play hard, execute the scheme, and take on the challenge when the opposition targets them:

While Atkinson has tended to prioritize offense, they’ve been devastating when he has gone with more talented defensive lineups. The three-man defensive unit of Mobley, Wade, and LeVert has limited opponents to just 93.3 points per 100 possessions, per CleaningtheGlass. That is an absurd number. It makes sense, though – – those three, along with Okoro, are the most versatile defenders on the team (the three-man unit of Mobley, Wade, and Okoro have a 97.2 defensive rating). Mobley continues to put himself in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation:

Okoro was inserted into the starting five after the initial starting unit (Garland, Mitchell, Wade, Mobley, Allen) that opened the season wasn’t that effective (-0.5 net rating in 143 possessions). The lineup with Okoro replacing Wade has been very good (+9.8 net rating in 158 possessions). Another positive indicator that Atkinson is a great coach – – he made a starting lineup adjustment despite the team being undefeated. Okoro, like Mobley, came into the league as a strong defender. He’s continued to improve at the subtle intricacies of defense:

That is not a play many perimeter defenders can make. Stephen Curry goes to one of his patented moves, but Okoro recognizes the step-back and jumps BEFORE Curry does and blocks the shot with his left hand. The Cavs are 6th in the league at forcing turnovers, and the likes of LeVert and Okoro are a big reason for this. They both have quick hands and force live-ball turnovers that lead to easy transition buckets the other way:

Another foundation of this defense, of course, is Jarrett Allen. Having 48 minutes of rim protection is vital in today’s game. Allen, while not AS versatile as Mobley, also has the ability to protect the rim and move his feet on the perimeter:

The Cavs are one of just four teams in NBA history to start a season 15-0. Their point differential of +12.9 is an elite number. There’s a lot of excitement around Ohio, and rightfully so.  They have star power, they have depth, they have offense, they have defense, and they’re well-coached. There’s hardly anything to point to as flaws outside of offensive rebounding and free throw rate. The team is looking like it’s going to coast to a top-two seed in the Eastern Conference. The playoffs will be the real test as to whether the changes we’re seeing now are for real. Consider me optimistic.