How Kenny Atkinson prepared to give his Cavaliers a winning spark this season

Kenny Atkinson, the new Cleveland Cavaliers coach going into this 2024-25 season brings a lot to his new team, including plenty of coaching experience which should spark this Cavs team and hopefully a future NBA Championship.

Atkinson takes over for J.B. Bickerstaff who had the job the previous four-plus seasons.

Bickerstaff should be credited with helping the Cavaliers progress and improve every season.
The team got close to the playoffs two seasons ago but lost in the play-in rounds. A season ago they got into the playoffs as the fourth seed but were ousted by the fifth-seeded New York Knicks. This past season Cleveland got past the Orlando Magic in the first round; however, the Boston Celtics beat the Cavs in round two. While from the outside it looked like Bickerstaff made progress, the progress wasn't big enough, and he was never going to be able to coach this team to a title.

So, the Cavs made the right move in firing Bickerstaff. Now with Atkinson behind the coaching wheel having his experience as a head coach and as a high-profile assistant with teams, like the Golden State Warriors, and most recently the French Men's National Basketball Team in the Olympics (they won the Silver medal after losing to the US National Team) should put him in position to help this star-studded roster of the Cavs.

That roster starts with Donovan Mitchell and has young stars like Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to help support what should be an exciting season ahead. 

Despite some complaining about the Cavaliers not having depth on their bench, they are returning players like Caris Levert, Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade. The puzzle pieces are aligning for another run through the postseason.

Kenny Atkinson brings a new vision to Cleveland

Anytime teams make a shift on a team like a coaching change, they are going to get a different perspective, and that’s definitely what Atkinson will bring to the Cavs team. His ability to draw up plays and push the players to run these sets will be refreshing.

Rather than just running a standard high pick-and-roll or having your players stand outside the three-point line waiting for the penetration from the guards and then the kick-out, fans actually might see some uniqueness and upgrades in the department of play calling.

This Cavaliers team has been good for the last three seasons and they’ve had Mitchell for the last two. They don’t necessarily need better players, they just need to play better. They need a new commitment as a team to try to reach their goals by way of a new leading voice. That voice will be Atkinson's and that could be a really good thing for this squad.

Fans will have to see how things turn out this season, and if Atkinson lays an egg as a head coach maybe the Cleveland Cavaliers should start looking at moving around some players and contracts. Until then, there is plenty of reason for confidence that this team will be far different than those past teams under Bickerstaff.