NBA News: Cavaliers Add Former Head Coach to J.B. Bickerstaff’s Staff

The Cleveland Cavaliers ended a shockingly decent season on a rather low note in 2021-2022. After remaining relevant in the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture

The Cleveland Cavaliers ended a shockingly decent season on a rather low note in 2021-2022. After remaining relevant in the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture for a notable portion of the year, the Cavaliers found themselves in the mix of the NBA Play-In Tournament.

With an opportunity to lock in the seventh seed, the Cavaliers faced Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets for their first matchup. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the seventh seed wasn’t in the cards as they were hardly a match for Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the Brooklyn squad.

Cleveland had one final opportunity to notch a spot in the playoffs. With a win over the Atlanta Hawks, they could’ve garnered the eighth seed. But it seemed the Hawks’ postseason experience worked well for them on the big stage as Atlanta squeezed into the eighth seed and ended the Cavaliers’ 2021-2022 run prematurely.

Now, the Cavaliers enter a critical offseason where they’ll look to improve their roster and their coaching staff as well. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavaliers have added former Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton to J.B. Bickerstaff’s bench.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are hiring Luke Walton as an assistant coach, sources tell ESPN. Walton joins JB Bickerstaff's coaching staff after spending five-plus years as head coach of the Lakers and Kings. Walton spent his final two seasons as a player with Cleveland a decade ago.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 31, 2022

Although Walton’s time as a head coach was forgettable as he missed the playoffs in five-straight seasons and was fired after 17 games in 2021-2022, his experience as a two-time head coach and even an NBA champion as a player could help out a young Cavaliers team a lot.

For Eastern Conference competitions such as the Philadelphia 76ers, they’ll have their eyes on the Cavs as a team to pay close attention to going into next year as Cleveland could become a sleeper team as they look to improve from the coaching staff to the roster itself. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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