Cavs reveals point of emphasis to make Raptors go extinct
10/22/2024 04:57 PM
Throughout the preseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers have focused on rebounding. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson wants to make it a core identity this season. To Atkinson, having Cleveland gobble up opportunities leads to even more looks on offense. With the Cavs boasting bigs like Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen and tons of rebounding support, putting Atkinson’s theory into practice should be easy. Cleveland’s first real test of Atkinson’s vision will come on the road, where the Cavs take on the Toronto Raptors. While Atkinson and his players won’t reveal their entire gameplan on what they have cooked up for Toronto, Cleveland is locked in on what they’ve been preaching: rebounding. More particularly, offensive rebounding.
“These are new concepts, and it’s going to take time,” said Atkinson. “But it’s definitely an area of improvement for us. Our transition defense will be tested since it’s the best thing they do. So, we’ve got to really be locked in. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t going after the boards, right? We’re still going to go after the offensive boards.”
The Raptors boast one of the taller and more athletic teams in the NBA. So, if Cleveland can control the glass and limit Toronto, the Cavs can set the tone immediately.
“Extra possessions are always a plus for us,” said Cleveland guard Darius Garland. “With the size and shooting ability that we have, offensive rebounds and kick-outs are pretty easy. If the refs let us play a little bit, I feel like it’ll be easier for us to crash the glass and kick it out.”
Rebounding is the key to success for the Cavs against the Raptors
While rebounding might seem like a simple enough concept, it is something Cleveland needs to improve on. Last season, the Cavs were seventeenth overall in rebounding during the regular season and were the third-worst rebounding team during the playoffs. On the defensive glass, Cleveland was slightly below average, finishing eleventh during the regular season and tenth during the playoffs. But on the offensive glass, things quickly fell apart for the Cavs last year. Cleveland was twenty-first in second-chance opportunities during the regular season and thirteenth in the playoffs.
With how big the Cavs are, it made no sense for Cleveland to struggle with rebounding. That’s where Atkinson’s focus on crashing the glass came to fruition and, although it’s preseason play, Cleveland is showing signs of Atkinson’s master scheme. During preseason action this year, the Cavs were seventh in the NBA in overall rebounding, averaging 48.3 per game. Cleveland was also rock solid in limiting second-chance opportunities, averaging 38.3 defensive rebounds per game, which was good enough for third overall in the NBA. However, regarding second-chance opportunities, the Cavs are still well below average.
Again, Cleveland is still adjusting to Atkinson’s goal of securing more offensive boards. But when going against a Raptors team that finished in the top ten during preseason action for offensive rebounding, the Cavs have to match their physicality and impose their will.
“We know the offensive rebounding piece with them,” Atkinson said to ClutchPoints. “We got to keep them off the boards because of their size. [Jakob] Poletl gives them a real force. Or they can put [Chris] Boucher at the five, who’s a great athlete and a great offensive rebounder. So we really got to be locked into combating that athleticism, that size.”
It’ll be worthwhile to keep an eye on how physical the Cavs are rebounding-wise. Atkinson admitted that if they can’t put enough pressure on Toronto, he’ll adjust Cleveland’s schemes on the fly to create pressure elsewhere. Hopefully, bigs like Mobley and Allen will be up to the test. They’ll be busy with a pesky Raptors squad.
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