The Cleveland Cavaliers have their eyes peeled for the postseason already. It was certainly a hot topic of conversation for new coach Kenny Atkinson and president of basketball operations Koby Altman during their media day availability Friday morning at Cleveland Clinic Courts.
“The goal is to always championship, especially in this group,” Altman said right off the jump. “We brought in Kenny to help us take that next step.”
In bringing Atkinson aboard, the front office was successful in keeping the core four together, signing three out of the four to extensions this off-season.
“I think it was very methodical in that we wanted to keep our best players in town,” said Altman. “Not easy when you talk about bringing back a Donovan Mitchell. Extending Jared Allen two-years before he becomes unrestricted. Signing Evan Mobley to five more years at 23 years-old. Even last summer when you talk about Darius Garland's extension, and then late in the summer adding Isaac Okoro. So these are big core pieces to the Cavaliers and guys that really wanted to be here.”
Atkinson made it a point that there is a process to maximize the individual talent of each of his players. There is a plan in place with no skipped steps, and the rest will take care of itself.
So what’s the process look like and how is it different from what the Cavaliers have done in the past? Undoubtedly the growth starts with the core four, including the youngest member of the core, Evan Mobley.
The 23 year-old is ramping up for his fourth season in the league. With his age, there is still development to be done despite already being a dominant force on the floor for the Cavaliers. “Just forget about the coaching, forget about the system. Just being that young, there's gonna be a natural improvement.” said Atkinson.
Putting coaching back into it, for Evan it starts with how he’s being used on the floor — Can he be more aggressive at the rim? Can he be more effective on the offensive boards? And lastly, can he ramp up his three-point shooting and stretch the ball? All things that have been done in spurts for the big, but not consistently just yet.
A big question coming out of last season was if Mitchell and Darius Garland fit together on the court. Despite the doubts that circle, Atkinson believes the success between the pair starts with an optimal rotation.
“I don't understand how two guys who are so talented, who are unselfish, who are both excellent passers, why they can't work. They are complementary to me,” said Atkinson. So what are the three guys around? What does that look like? This word lineup configuration is really important, especially when the playoffs come.”
Something the Cavs haven’t been able to see the past two postseasons is the effect of Jarrett Allen on the floor fully due to injuries. In speaking on Allen’s next big steps with the team, Altman wants to see Allen through to the postseason.“I think his next evolution is real playoff success for us, being that anchor.”
As for the rest of the squad, each player will have key indicators for their performance. The process is individualized based on the specific players' focuses and roles on the team. Off the court, Atkinson is focused on every player growing their strength while training to stay healthy for the longevity of the season.
“First thing is health, right? Cavs' healthy team last year changes things, right? So I think there's a organizational kind of collective, integrated approach to how we're gonna build this team up,” said Atkinson.
The build up for the season continues in Bradenton, Florida where the team is holding this year's training camp from October 1-6. This is the first time the Cavs travel to IMG Academy as well as out of the state for camp.
Altman said the Cavaliers found a lot of success and camaraderie in Paris and so the idea was to replicate that. Hurricane Helene has not affected the trip as of now and Altman said they are hopeful the plan sticks.
