The Cavs 2024-25 campaign will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 8 with an evening preseason matchup against the Chicago Bulls. Cleveland enters this preseason with a new regime. The Cavs replaced long-time head coach J.B. Bickerstaff this offseason with Kenny Atkinson. The warmup games will be the first time Cavs fans can see their new coach in action.
Cavs Start New Regime as Preseason Gets Underway
Atkinson was an assistant coach this summer with Team France, as he helped the host nation achieve Silver. Now, back stateside Atkinson will look to lead the Cavs to a deep postseason run. However, that all starts with the preseason in which the Cavs have four scheduled matchups.
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vs Chicago Bulls – Oct 8.
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vs Indiana Pacers – Oct 10.
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at Detroit Pistons – Oct 16.
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at Chicago Bulls – Oct 18.
What To Watch For
Kenny Atkinson and Health
Though it’s the preseason, having a new coach certainly increases the importance of these early-season games for the Cavs. It will be the first time not only the role players, but also the starters will be running Atkinson’s sets. It will be important to see the difference between Bickerstaff and Atkinson’s offenses. Ideally, the Cavs will be able to score at will with their high-scoring, ball-dominant guards Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.
Atkinson has been quoted recently explaining his analytical approach to improving his team. ‘Fear the Sword‘ contributor Jackson Flickinger has detailed Atkinson’s ideas including his approach to lineups.
“When Evan is on the court alone [without Jarrett Allen], the rebounding numbers aren’t great,” Atkinson said. “For me as a coach, I can use those numbers [and say], ‘You could really help us when we are in those spread lineups. We need you to rebound more.”
Also, this is the first time the Cavs will be in full health since the end of the 2022-23 season. Having the ‘Core four’ healthy from the start of the season will be crucial to the success of the team this season. However, the starters will play limited minutes throughout the next week and a half. Therefore, fans will get a closer look at the bench rotation.
New Additions
Cleveland had a relatively quiet offseason when compared to their peers. But, the Cavs added two-way players J.T Thor and Luke Travers. Additionally, the team drafted Jaylon Tyson in the first round of the NBA draft this summer. Both Travers and Tyson played major minutes in the Summer League for the Cavs. Travers averaged 8.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 23.2 minutes in July. While Tyson notched 15.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. But, this will be Thor’s first appearance as a member of the team. Thor has been with the Charlotte Hornets in each of his first three NBA seasons.
The Last Word
Despite their peers seemingly improving drastically across the course of this past offseason. The Cavs will enter this season with increased optimism. Atkinson’s new offense should inject some energy into an already immensely talented team. The preseason will be a good chance for the coach and players to gel ahead of a major season for this iteration of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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