Kenny Atkinson thinks Cavs already have what they need to get to next level with their core four; focused on making them better

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – After the Cavaliers got bounced by Boston in the conference semifinals, questions arose if Cleveland could compete for an NBA championship with their core four as is.

New head coach Kenny Atkinson believes they can.

The question now is, how?

“Well that's what they're going to pay me for,” Atkinson said, drawing a round of laughter from reporters, during his introductory press conference Monday afternoon.

“You got four All-Stars. We got to make it work. And that's part of the reason I'm here.”

At his end of season wrap up, president of basketball operations Koby Altman dismissed notions that one or two members of the core four – namely Darius Garland and or Jarrett Allen – need to be used to bring in a star wing that could also open the floor up for Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell.

Atkinson took the job convinced he already has what he needs to turn the Cavs into title contenders.

“What's great about this situation is the roster that's in place, there's enough,” Atkinson said. “There's enough to take that next step, no doubt about it.”

Atkinson has already been plotting how he can exploit the talents of Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and Allen starting with his top two guards.

“I've already spoken to Darius multiple times and I am just a huge fan,” Atkinson said. “I can't tell you how many times he destroyed us when we were in Brooklyn. He's obviously a great shooter, underrated passer. So it seems like something that when you have multiple ball handlers, and I'll harken back to my Golden State experience, Steph [Curry] and Jordan Poole, you have a lot of pieces, but the talent's there so it's just we're going to work on tweaking this where we maximize those guys. But I just love both of them together quite honestly.”

Today’s NBA isn’t built for multiple bigs on the floor simultaneously to be successful in the run and jack threes offense that seems to have taken over the league.

“The league is changing fast. It's a faster league, there's no doubt about it,” Atkinson said. “I will say, our kind of unique situation here, we've got two bigs that are fast. They're just not big guys. Knowing Jarett really well, I mean that was the thing to track, he can really get [up and down]. Evan is a 400-meter sprinter. He's got incredible speed for his size. I will say my experience in Golden State, I think it's going to really help. We played Draymond [Green] and [Kevon] Looney together a lot, we won a lot of series like that. So knowing how to use those two is going to be important because we want to keep that defensive identity. We want to keep that base. That's so important now. And part of my job is when we figure out how can we get those guys, that group with the two bigs to be more efficient offensively.”

Atkinson has a reputation for being able to connect with players and he’s already doing that since taking the job by reaching out to much of the roster. The Cavs core is relatively young, especially Garland, who is 24 and Mobley, who is 23.

While both players have shown glimpses of greatness in their early years with Garland already making an All-Star team in his third season in 2022 and everyone believes Mobley will be one soon.

The importance of getting Mobley there is something that has Atkinson excited.

“I do think we can schematically get the ball in his hands more quite honestly,” Atkinson said. “And it's going to be in multiple ways I think when you have a guy that versatile, it could be him in transition bringing the ball up. It could be him handling in a five out situation or him handling and pick and roll. I think there's creative things we can do to help him. And I know I've spoke with him, he's excited about it, but there's definitely just his general usage I think can go up and we have to figure out the best positions to put them in. But it's like I can't wait to get on that task. I know that's a big, big part of us taking that next step.”

Once Mitchell signs an extension, the Cavs can move full steam ahead under Atkinson, wh replaced J.B. Bickerstaff. Under Bickerstaff, the Cavs went from a sub-20 win team to a conference semifinalist in under five seasons.

It’s a big reason Atkinson took the job.

“These guys have not gotten enough credit,” Atkinson said of Cleveland’s rebuild after LeBron James left for the Lakers in the summer of 2018. “I think I know how hard it is to make that jump. I mean that's an incredible, incredible jump, an incredible five years obviously after the LeBron Championship, all that. And then to reboot and build not only a team that's on the rise and made a huge jump, but the culture's got to be good. And then knowing the players that are in place, the personality. So you're doing it with high character players and I don't say that lightly.

“I remember Koby, when I walked in and the first thing I said, ‘I want this job.’”