Cavs credit Kenny Atkinson for their impressive start: ‘He came in and got us right’

Atkinson’s players had nothing but praise for him after he received Eastern Conference Coach of the Month

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was quick to deflect praise for winning Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in November before their matchup with the Washington Wizards. He believes the players deserve credit for that.

“It’s 99% [the players] and 1% coaching,” Atkinson said.

His players would disagree.

“He’s a great coach overall,” Evan Mobley said. “He came in and got us right.”

Atkinson certainly did that. He’s turned a team that was 16th in offense last season into the second-best attack with nearly the same roster. The Cavs have bought completely in, leading to the best record in the league a quarter of the way through the season. You couldn’t have asked for a better start.

His players point to his communication and the confidence he instills in them as the reason why they’ve been successful. That communication is seen most clearly in how Donovan Mitchell and Mobley have shifted into new roles this season.

Mitchell has been asked to do more with less. His minutes are down which has led to a less starring role. Games like his 20-point fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics have become the exception and not the norm. This is by design. Atkinson’s ability to communicate that message and immediately get the buy-in from his team’s best player has led to this.

“There’s accepting of being a leader, but also understanding [I need to be] picking my spots,” Mitchell said when asked about how Atkinson has helped his game.

“Everybody in this league pretty much knows me as a scorer. Kind of being identified in a different way. ... It’s something we talked about in LA when we first talked about everything. It’s not hard to buy into something when you have a guy that’s on a consistent basis teaching and going over and over and over again and also holding you accountable. … For me, it’s just finding ways to become the best player I can be.”

All NBA coaches know the game. However, being able to communicate what they know to the players is part of what separates great and average coaches.

“Just his communication,” Mobley said. “His knowledge of the game, how he’s able to know the analytics side as well then teach us in a way that won’t confuse us. [He tells us] why we’re doing certain things and stuff like that. He’s a great communicator.”

That communication is coupled with how he trusts his guys. This is something that is brought up almost unanimously when you ask Atkinson’s current or former players about him. It’s one of the things that’s allowed Darius Garland to play the best basketball of his career shortly after his worst season.

“[He] just gives me confidence,” Garland said. “He wants everybody to play their game and shoot the ball with confidence whenever they're open. .... It’s cool having coaches give me confidence. He believes in you.”

This is seen just in how Atkinson reacts on the sideline. It’s not uncommon for Atkinson to take a few steps onto the court after a good play to try to give one of his guys a high five even when they should be getting back on defense. This kind of energy rubs off on the entire team.

“Empowerment,” Mitchell said when asked about how Atkinson has helped change this team. “We made it public, like, ‘Evan Mobley, continue to take that step,’ like, that’s huge for us. Jarrett Allen’s been phenomenal. Pushing DG. He talked about it after the Boston game. ‘We’re not hiding you on defense.’ DG is not a guy that wants to hide. Being able to take that challenge and doing it.

“Those are the steps that we also have to grow into as a younger team, but we want to take those challenges. … He’s done a lot of different things, but empowering us is huge.”

Last summer was one of the most critical offseason in franchise history. The Cavs needed to get an extension from Mitchell after trading away nearly every pick they could along with someone who turned into an All-Star. They also had to nail their next head coach hire. The Cavs have always had top-end talent, but getting the overlapping skills to work together was going to be a challenge.

They got Mitchell’s commitment in July and right now, it doesn’t seem like they could’ve found a more perfect fit as head coach. Atkinson has been exactly what this team needed.

“It’s kind of hard to explain,” Garland said, “but he’s a really good and cool guy off the floor when he’s not in coaching mode. It’s just good to have a breath of fresh air.”