Kenny Atkinson's In-Game Adjustments Have Been Difference-Maker For Cavaliers

Kenny Atkinson is learning the best way to use the Cleveland Cavaliers' roster.

Oct 16, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson yells instructions to his team from the sideline during their preseason game against the Detroit Pistons in the third quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

It looks like the Cleveland Cavaliers organization made the right decision by hiring Kenny Atkinson as their new head coach.

There's been a lot to like from his scheme, game plan, and offensive system so far. However, one area in particular stands out as a strength of Atkinson's with this specific Cleveland roster: his in-game adjustments.

Take Monday night's win over the Chicago Bulls as a perfect example.

"In the second half, we had to flip it and try some different things," admitted Atkinson after the game.

"It was one of those [games] we had to throw everything at the wall. We played 2-3 zone. We switched everything. We tried to give them some different looks because they're fast and spread you out with the five-out stuff."

Nov 6, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half reacts at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

One of Atkinson's adjustments was scrapping his typical rotations and relying heavily on the bench to get themselves back in the game.

Cleveland's starters struggled on offense and looked gassed, too. Atkinson admitted that the team was searching for some spark to get back into the game.

He used an all-reserve, small-bak lineup of Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, and Georges Niang. This lineup was exactly what they needed to help the Cavaliers get back to the game.

"Just some games, you feel. You need a different look. I also felt like we looked like a tired group. Again, you've got to read that as a coach," said Atkinson following the game.

This isn't the first time Atkinson has made an adjustment on the fly, resulting in a massive momentum swing for the Cavs.

Cleveland played the New York Knicks in their third game of the season. The Cavaliers have struggled to grab rebounds against New York for the past few seasons, and that trend continued in the first half of that matchup, with New York outrebounding Cleveland by eight in the first half.

Atkinson showed his team one clip at halftime, and that's all it took to turn this part of the game around. The Cavs went on to grab six more boards than the Knicks in the final 24 minutes.

Atkinson said early this season that it can take up to 20 games to truly understand a roster and what works and what doesn't. But so far, Cleveland's new head coach has made all the right moves on a whim, which has been a major part of Cleveland's perfect start.