Cavs' Georges Niang gives insight into Kenny Atkinson's new offense

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There’s been hype surrounding head coach Kenny Atkinson’s new offense during the offseason and training camp. Under Atkinson, the Cavs are expected to utilize a motion-based offense that wants to play with pace and get up three-pointers. There’s also an emphasis on moving the ball and empowering his players to make the right reads. The idea under Atkinson is to play with flow and pace and create advantages that make the players on the floor effective. This system will empower players to grow and develop, honing skills that could eventually become strengths. But for as much talk as there was about it, it’s hard to mentally visualize it without viewing it. Thankfully, Cavs veteran forward Georges Niang gave great insight into how Cleveland will play under Atkinson.

“It’s flying the ball off the court with the pass,” said Niang. “We have two elite rim-running bigs. So, getting them easy layups and dunks by running the floor keeps them motivated to run the floor.

“The ball is going to get to them to pass more than you know. We are going to be dribbling the ball up the court. So, I think playing with pace for us is advancing the ball with the pass, getting into the lane, and then starting our cycle of drive and kicks.”

Cavs’ new offense on full display in first preseason game

Thankfully, Niang’s insight came to fruition in Cleveland’s first preseason game against the Chicago Bulls. Within the first five minutes of action, the Cavs roared out to a 19-7 lead. It was all predicated on pace, space, and intelligent passing. It all gelled together nicely, picking apart a haphazard Bulls defense and showing early signs of how Atkinson wants Cleveland to play.

Twenty-seven of the Cavs’ 47 made field goals came off of assists. Those 24 dimes led to 58 points scored by Cleveland, more than 64.1% of their total points. Seven resulted from the Cavs driving toward the bucket and then kicking back to the open shooter. The remaining 20 were either off crafty dimes to big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, who both took turns bullying the Bulls inside. Or they came off of pull-up jumpers or attempts within the perimeter.

For reference, the Cavs assisted on 2299 of their made field goals last season. Sure, the 67.1.% assist percentage is roughly the same as what Cleveland had against Chicago. Last season’s numbers came in the regular season. The Cavs could put together these numbers with their starters only playing minutes into the second half and Atkinson going deep into his bench throughout. Atkinson started to stretch things out midway into the third and entered the final frame. Regardless, Atkinson’s system kept trying to find clean looks off of constant movement, irrespective of where the attempt came from on the floor.

Before the game, Atkinson said he didn’t have a firm number of three-point attempts that he wanted Cleveland to take. However, he did joke that he won’t discourage his players from firing away from the perimeter, regardless of whether or not they were contested. Nearly half of the Cavs’ attempts in this game came from the perimeter. Meanwhile, Cleveland saw more than half of their attempts in the paint. The remaining 4.6% of their attempts were considered inefficient by analytical standards.

That’s the idealized form of Atkinson’s offense. It’s a heavy dose of analytics where his team looks to get the most efficient shot whenever possible. Niang provided a teaser of what to expect, and Cleveland more than backed up their veteran forward’s words against Chicago. Again, these numbers are a bit watered down. The Cavs lost Max Strus early and pulled their starters in the third quarter. So, things could be even more refined once the regular season begins. It’s an encouraging first step, even if Cleveland lost to Chicago.

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