Cavs' Kenny Atkinson reveals possible plan for team's starting small forward

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have battled several injuries at small forward this season. Yet, they have remained the dominant team in basketball. Key players, including Max Strus and Isaac Okoro, have risen to the challenge. Dean Wade, Caris LeVert, Sam Merrill, and even Evan Mobley have also contributed. Remarkably, the Cavs have shown no decline in performance and have been the best team in the NBA.

“It’s a balanced team,” said Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson. “We have interior play, we have perimeter play, we have ball handlers, we have shooters. So I think it starts there.

” … You have roster construction like that and then continuity that goes along with it. That, to me, is 90 to 99 percent of it, and the connection they share is the other 1 percent.”

To Atkinson’s credit, Cleveland's success has been their secret sauce this season. Recently, the Cavs had an impressive 4-0 record on a Western Conference road trip. They accomplished this despite Okoro being sidelined with a shoulder injury. In response, Atkinson inserted Wade into the starting lineup. Once again, the Cavs adapted effortlessly and maintained their season-long momentum.

As the team starts to recover, Atkinson faces difficult choices. Okoro will return with a minute restriction due to his injury. He will join Strus, who has been out for the first 27 games with a high ankle sprain. Soon, both players will be free from restrictions.

This puts pressure on Atkinson to maximize their contributions on the court. However, accommodating everyone means someone will have to forfeit minutes. This could lead to a player remaining as a reserve, complicating the Cavs’ lineup situation. Despite this, Atkinson understands what’s best for Cleveland when everyone is 100 percent health-wise.

“It’s to be determined,” Atkinson said before the Cavs hosted the Charlotte Hornets. “It’s a good problem to have. It’ll work itself out.”

Why Kenny Atkinson isn’t pressed about the Cavs’ starting small forward

When asked about Cleveland’s starting small forward, Atkinson responded with a familiar analogy. He emphasized that the starter’s identity isn’t crucial for the Cavs. In most matchups, the focus is on playing their Core Four. The choice of small forward often hinges on specific game situations, which allows the team to adapt strategically.

From there, Atkinson and the Cavs try different lineups and rotations to find their offensive rhythm. Team chemistry fuels these experiments, revealing which players perform best together and helping Atkinson decide who should finish the game.

“It’s not who starts who finishes,” Atkinson admitted. “That’s always the really hard one.

“… That’s going to be the tough one. The starting lineup is not as important. But it’s going to be a little bit like, ‘Well, what’s the best matchup? Who’s playing well? Who’s got it going? What combinations work? But again, it’s a luxury, right? There’s no doubt. It’s a complete luxury. But we’re going to have to pull the right strings when money time happens with an expanded roster.”

Atkinson requires time to thoroughly evaluate his team’s strengths and weaknesses, which largely hinges on the health of his players. As the Cavs continue to etch their names in NBA history, he recognizes the importance of maintaining their momentum and will not interfere with what is clearly working.

Instead, he diligently observes and analyzes other teams’ strategies across the league, searching for innovative ideas to enhance the Cavs’ performance and take them to new heights. Once Cleveland reaches those heights, especially when they’re at their healthiest, it will be even more difficult to contain the Cavs on either end of the floor.

So, for now, there’s no need to handwring over who starts for Cleveland at small forward. Atkinson certainly isn’t. Instead, he’s taking it game-by-game, and, in turn, it’s resulted in the Cavs remaining the best team in the NBA.

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