Cavs planning to play their core four in preseason against Pistons
10/16/2024 02:43 PM
Although it’s only the preseason, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson is focused on getting the Cavs up to speed. Atkinson confirmed that the plan is to play his healthy starters against former coach J.B. Bickerstaff's Detroit Pistons as part of the ramp-up to the regular season opener. That means Cleveland’s core four, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, will play. All but Allen sat for the previous game against the Pacers. The other three played about 19 minutes in the preseason opener, a home loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The only player missing from Cleveland’s starting lineup is Max Strus. This will be Strus’s second straight preseason game missed, having suffered a hip contusion against the Bulls. The injury isn’t considered very serious since Strus was able to conduct a light, individual on-court shooting session at the start of the week. If anything, this is Atkinson and the Cavs’ medical team being cautious with Strus. Fellow sharpshooter Sam Merrill, who has been dealing with nagging soreness in his right wrist since training camp, won't be in the lineup Wednesday either.
"Just being extra cautious with both of them," Atkinson said.
While it’s deflating not to have Strus available, Cleveland’s core four must get on-court opportunities together. Atkinson is trying to install a new offensive system, so the more chances the Cavs have to iron out the kinks, the better—especially against a rival opponent.
What Kenny Atkinson visualizes for the Cavs’ offense
Whenever you’re in Cleveland Clinic Courts, the Cavs’ practice facility, you’ll notice sections taped off around the perimeter. Two of which are in the corner. The other two are just above the break of the three-point arc on the wing. They're there as a reminder of where Cleveland needs to go immediately once they get possession of the ball.
"[The goal is to] keep the middle of the court open," Atkinson said. "That's why you can see those spacing markers on the floor to keep the middle open. . . . I call it the Autobahn. [We want to] go fast in those lanes."
Atkinson's coaching staff is embracing analytics and a different offensive philosophy. That includes putting up more threes. After last week's game against the Bulls, Atkinson said that 48 threes "is a good number." But that also goes along with playing faster. It's easier to do one if you're also doing the other.
"Getting to the corner," Mitchell said when asked about something Atkinson wants to see him do more. "The gravity I have is huge."
"Running into the corners so we can get open threes," Garland said. "Kenny's a big three-point attempt guy."
It's preseason, but this coaching staff isn't paying lip service to the importance of getting out in transition and doing most of their damage there. They're taking the necessary steps to make it routine on offense. That’s why Atkinson is playing Cleveland’s core four and critical rotation players against Detroit. While preseason games don’t matter record-wise, they impact how the team will play when the games matter most.
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