Kenny Atkinson says he will expand rotation

Atkinson will play 10 or even 11 players ‘off the bat.’

Managing NBA rotations can be a difficult and often thankless job for a head coach. Whether you play a tight eight-man group or delve deep into your bench — the results are all that matter. That’s why Kenny Atkinson will be throwing the whole kitchen sink in his first season with the Cleveland Cavaliers to figure out which lineups will work for him in money time.

“I’m gonna play 10 guys right off the bat. I’d say even 11,” Atkinson said in his start-of-the-season media availability. “I think by developing your bench, that prepares you for the playoffs, because you never know right?”

Any new coach will have the challenge of learning his roster. But Atkinson has a specially challenging job in sorting out how to stagger 10-11 players who all deserve minutes.

Of course, there’s the starting five — followed by Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro and Georges Niang. You can’t not play Dean Wade. And what about Sam Merrill? Is there room for youngsters like Craig Porter Jr. and Jaylon Tyson? Is Tristan Thompson going to see the floor as the only backup center on the roster? Even Ty Jerome seems like he’ll be playing basketball this season. So yeah... Atkinson has his job cut out for him.

“Geez, how many rotational players do we have?” said Atkinson. “We’re going to play a lot of guys, and our main guys, we’re gonna be really strategic with how we use them. That’s a bit of a shift, definitely part of our coaching staff’s philosophy.”

Health will be a priority this season. The Cavs' top players weren’t run into the ground by any means — only Donovan Mitchell finished in the top 50 for minutes per game last season (19th). But lightening the load of the core will be important to keeping them fresh for the playoffs. Each member of the starting lineup dealt with some sort of untimely injury last year.

“First thing is health, right? I think there’s an organizational, kind of collective, integrated approach to how we’re going to build this team up where there’s not only healthy but also peak performance in the playoffs.”