It's only taken three games for Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson to figure out how to ideally utilize Lonzo Ball. The 27-year-old showed encouraging signs during the preseason, steadily increasing his playing time while sticking to an interesting plan.
In an intriguing move, Atkinson substituted Ball in and let him run the show for extended periods of time while resting him for long stretches between his appearances.
Ball played nine minutes and 45 seconds of consecutive basketball during the first and second quarters of the Cavaliers' preseason finale. He then played 10 minutes and 21 seconds straight between the third and fourth quarters.
In the process, Cleveland may have showed its hand in regard to how it plans to utilize Ball: In extended stretches rather than sporadic spurts.
It's certainly not the most groundbreaking approach, but the Cavaliers are clearly interested in giving Ball opportunities to return to NBA form without the risk of constant involvement. When he's on the court, he's going to be playing for a steady stretch of minutes—but when he's off, it will take some time before he comes back on.
Considering Ball has appeared in just 70 games since 2021, the Cavaliers cracking the code on how to utilize one of the best playmakers in the NBA is of the utmost importance.
Cavaliers balanced long stretches, lengthy resting periods for Lonzo Ball
The Cavaliers have quite a luxury when it comes to factoring Ball into the rotation. The two guards he's backing up are among the best in the NBA, with 2024-25 All-NBA First Team honoree Donovan Mitchell and two-time All-Star Darius Garland occupying starting roles.
As such, Cleveland has the unique opportunity to employ its current strategy for Ball's playing time due to how rarely Garland and Mitchell are off the court.
With the strategy that Atkinson seems to be embracing, Ball will have a chance to play a style that's perhaps less likely to produce an injury. He won't be going back and forth between the bench for short spurts, but instead getting into and staying in a rhythm.
Once the time comes for the starters to come back onto the court, Ball will then have time to rest between proverbial repetitions as his body adjusts to the grind of the NBA game again.
The strategy also projects to put Ball in a position to play the game that he's best at. His impact is felt on both ends of the floor, as he's a top-tier passer and facilitator who possesses the ability to make plays as a defender, as well.
That was on firm display when Ball posted nine assists and three blocks during his final preseason appearance on Oct. 14 against the Detroit Pistons.
It was indicative of the role he's likely to play in Cleveland, with catch-and-shoot opportunities likely to be sprinkled in. The goal is for Ball to ultimately act as a bridge between Garland and Mitchell, who have complemented one another well but both need a high volume of shots to be effective.
If the preseason is a sign of things to come, then one can expect Cleveland to balance steady stretches on the court with long spells on the bench to give Ball the best shot at staying healthy.