Kenny Atkinson: Taking the next step

Atkinson and the rest of his new staff will be tasked with getting more out the Cavs’ core

Shortly after being eliminated in five games at the hands of the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers were tasked with making an important decision: What should they do with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff? After all, Bickerstaff took over for John Beilein amidst intense turmoil, weathered the Kevin Porter Jr. storm, successfully integrated Donovan Mitchell, and led the Cavs to a playoff series win.

The front office opted to dismiss Bickerstaff.

The reason? The team hit a wall. Marcus Morris said as much, telling FanDuel that the Cavs needed a new voice. Growth stopped happening for key, foundational players. The relationship with Bickerstaff appeared to have run its course.

After a trying interview process, the Cavs settled on former Brooklyn Nets head coach and Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson to take Cleveland to the next level. Atkinson and his coaching staff are expected to do a few key things this season:

• Get Darius Garland back to All-Star form
• Help Evan Mobley take the next step as an offensive player
• Introduce a more creative offensive system

Those are not small tasks. Garland and Mobley reaching their potential is what will ultimately raise the Cavs’ ceiling to conference or NBA Finals heights. Garland flipping his script and being an All-Star-caliber point guard would go a long way in elevating the organization. A healthy, effective Garland lessens the pressure on Mitchell to be the fulcrum every night. Growing the offense to be less stagnant and predictable high pick and rolls with Mitchell as the safety valve when things collapse makes the Cavs harder to scheme against. Atkinson and the rest of the coaching staff will also have to figure out the secret sauce with the bench unit rotations, which were once again a pain point last season.

But those things pale in comparison to likely the biggest need for the Cavs this season: Advancing Mobley’s offensive game to be multi-dimensional.

Cavs’ fans have clamored for Mobley to take threes, which is only a part of what needs to happen. Beyond taking (and making, hopefully) three-pointers, getting Mobley more comfortable with the ball in his hands will be very important. Making plays off the dribble, playmaking from the elbow and the perimeter, and being more aggressive on offense are just a few other examples. There are a lot of ways for the Cavs to evolve Mobley’s game on the offensive side of things, but regardless of how it happens, it needs to happen.

Atkinson took Al Horford and Brook Lopez from traditional rim-protecting bigs and turned them into some of the more dangerous shooting centers in the league. That may not be a reasonable expectation for Mobley in one season, but it’s possible. Corner threes, shots from the top of the perimeter, or inverse pick and rolls will keep opposing defenses guessing. The growth of Mobley may, ultimately, be what defines Atkinson’s tenure in Cleveland. In speaking to the media, Atkinson understands the task at hand.

New assistant coach Johnnie Bryant is coming from a New York Knicks organization that played with their behinds on fire and was one of the more sought-after assistants. Mike Gerrity, who was the head coach of Cleveland’s G League team, has a lot of fans within the organization. Former player DeMarre Carroll, who was coached in Atlanta and Brooklyn by Atkinson, was an assistant in Los Angeles and Milwaukee the last two seasons. Carroll witnessed the growth of both Horford and Lopez and shooters and should be a helpful asset working with the bigs and the wings.

Expectations are set for Atkinson and his staff. Get Garland back on track, evolve Mobley on the offensive side of the ball, and institute a better offensive system. Not simple, but so far Atkinson has been saying the right things and the players respect the new staff leading them. The Cavs’ core is set, now it's up to the coaches to get as much out of them as possible.