The Cleveland Cavaliers had a huge roster reset at the NBA trade deadline when Darius Garland, De'Andre Hunter, and Lonzo Ball exited the picture for James Harden, Dennis Schroder, and Keon Ellis. As such, Kenny Atkinson and the coaching staff are back to square one in a lot of ways.
The early success that the Cavaliers have enjoyed with Harden has mostly overshadowed the work there is left to be done with figuring out what will suit Cleveland best for the final stretch of the season. Look closely enough, and you will see it. Brian Windhorst certainly did.
"I don't think Kenny Atkinson has a good feel of how to deploy the team at all," Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective. "They're good problems. ... However, he was running lineups out there tonight that I could tell ... they really didn't have a good feel for each other."
The ESPN analyst added that this environment is an upgrade over what the Cavaliers have been forced to deal with throughout chunks of the campaign when guys were injured. Even so, the struggles matching up personnel and identifying the best combinations puts Atkinson back to a training camp or early-season type of scenario for Cleveland.
Kenny Atkinson still needs to decipher how to maximize Cavaliers' new roster
The truth in what Windhorst is saying would be evident to anyone paying attention. The shuffling of Jaylon Tyson from a clear-cut starter to a sixth man, in favor of Dean Wade, is one example of it. The odd backcourt combinations of Harden and Schroder for stretches at a time, as pointed out by the ESPN personality, can serve as another.
Even in the Cavs' matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Atkinson had a major switch-up to start the second half. Instead of Wade, the Cavaliers head coach opted to open up the third quarter with Sam Merrill at the three. It worked out quite nicely too.
All the adjustments that come after a massive makeover like Cleveland had are why big trade deadline moves do not typically result in an NBA championship during the same season. There are a lot of pieces that need to fall into place, and not a lot of time to do it.
Maybe the Cavaliers will be different. Perhaps Atkinson can be a coach who streamlines the process.
If that is the case, the remaining 24 games will be crucial. The Cavaliers need to use what is in front of them to maximize their opportunity of understanding what works, who fits best with who, and what slice of the pie each player will need during a title push.