Williams fills one of several vacancies on Kenny Atkinson’s staff.
Following the departures of Jordan Ott, Demarre Carroll, and Bryan Tibaldi, the Cleveland Cavaliers have hired Jawad Williams to the coaching staff according to an official team release. Head coach Kenny Atkinson is still working on filling the other holes on his bench, and is reportedly interested in another former player in Jared Dudley.
Williams, a Cleveland native and St. Edward high school alum, has been an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings and director of player development since 2023. He also played for the Cavs from 2008-2010 before going overseas to continue his career, officially retiring from professional basketball in 2022.
With the Cavs continuing to focus strongly on player development, Williams makes a great deal of sense. Even though the bar is high for the Cavs, they are still a relatively young team in need of continued growth in certain areas. After all, their second and third-best players, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, are still 25-years-old or younger with more room to grow.
The Cavs have several spots to fill on the coaching side of things, with Ott and Carroll going to the Phoenix Suns for head and assistant coaching roles respectively. Tibaldi opted to join the Providence Friars of the NCAA, and Cleveland Charge head coach Chris Darnell left for Doug Cristie’s staff with the Kings.
The good news is that the team is expected to keep Johnnie Bryant, one of Donovan Mitchell’s closest confidants and trusted friends. That is certainly valuable to have for Atkinson as he navigates perhaps the most important offseason for Cleveland in the last few years.