3 offensive changes that Kenny Atkinson will bring to the Cavaliers in year one

2. Adding split action into the Cavs’ offense

The split action concept has been a staple of the Warriors' offense for years, and it is something that Atkinson is bringing to the Cavs. He wants to be less reliant on the pick-and-roll, as the Cavs have been one of the league’s most pick-and-roll-heavy teams the last few seasons. What’s good about this is the fact that the Cavs have the personnel to run this action.

Split action is valuable because of the confusion it causes for the defense. The post player can attack his guy one-on-one and go to the basket. He could also hit the shooter coming off of a screen. The shooter could either pop out for a shot or could go for a backdoor cut. For a visual, here is a clip of the Warriors running split action.

For the Cavs, having Mobley or Allen be the post player is probably the way to go when running this action. One of them could also be a screener for one of Mitchell, Garland, Strus, and Merrill coming off a screen, with space for an open jumper. This allows for more movement, screening, and cutting in Cleveland’s offense, something they did not have a lot of last season.

Garland has also said Atkinson wants him shooting eight or nine threes a game and if this becomes a staple of the Cavs offense, he should have no problem hitting that number. One of the best aspects of Garland’s game is his shooting ability and split action will give him more space to do so, instead of having to create for himself.

Adding the split action to the Cavs offense should space the floor for them even more and allows for more offensive creativity. This could unlock the team’s offensive potential.