The one thing that has been constant throughout Kenny Atkinson’s coaching tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers is that he will always develop depth and celebrate it.
That was more true than ever last season, when the Cavs were forced to use more than 40 different starting lineups throughout the season, and were the only team in the NBA to use that many lineups and make the playoffs.
Cleveland is set to look different this coming season, as multiple rotation players from last year have departed. The Cavs brought in Peyton Watson and Mario Hezonja as their big additions on the wing and both are projected to have key roles for Atkinson’s squad this season. However, Atkinson has yet to decide on one key thing as training camp opens next week.
Cleveland’s starting lineup is far from decided according to Kenny Atkinson
In his joint media availability with Koby Altman, Atkinson said that he has not decided on who his fifth starter will be for the season. James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are all locks, but the Cavs were not able to figure out that fifth guy for the group last season. Atkinson also said that he could make the case for 13 guys being deserving of rotation spots.
In the playoffs, Atkinson rotated between Dean Wade and Max Strus at the starting small forward spot and for the most part, he clicked the right buttons. Now those two are on other teams and someone else has to step up.
Watson is the obvious choice, given the contract he just got and the fact that he has the most upside of any of the forwards. His defensive versatility would be the perfect fit for the starting lineup, and the secondary scoring he could provide.
At the same time though, Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson have been in Atkinson’s system longer and in the case of Tyson, he really helped the team stay afloat last year amidst all the injuries and had the best year of his career. Merrill also had a great season, but he might be better suited sliding back to his natural shooting guard position.
Overall, it looks like Atkinson is setting the stage for a tough training camp with multiple position battles. It should create a healthy nature of competition for Cleveland and also provides them with the chance to see how deep their team really is for this year.
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