The Most Impressive Part Of The Cleveland Cavaliers' Dominance

Kenny Atkinson has done a masterful job managing the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Nov 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and forward Evan Mobley (4) celebrate during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not only been one of the most over-powering teams in basketball this season, but they've also been one of the most dominant teams in NBA history.

Even Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick admitted that the team must play "close to perfect basketball" to beat the Wine and Gold.

One underlying factor makes the Cavaliers' run that much more impressive: only one player on the team averages more than 31 minutes per game.

Kenny Atkinson has done a masterful job of staggering players playing time and finding the best opportunities to maximize players' rest, which has all come during the game.

Donovan Mitchell (31.4 MPG), Evan Mobley (30.2 MPG), and Darius Garland (30.0 MPG) are all averaging a career-low in minutes per game. Jarrett Allen's 29.0 MPG is the second lowest of his career after his rookie season.

Jan 3, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; A Cleveland Cavaliers coach speaks with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Yes, it's easy to say that this below-average playing time could be due to the fact the Cavaliers have been blowing teams out, allowing Cleveland's stars to check out early in the fourth quarter.

While that's true, even in a tight game, such as the one against the Lakers, Cleveland's All-Star backcourt of Garland and Mitchell only played 32 minutes. Mobley and Allen were not far behind with 31 minutes each.

It's the little things like this that could have a major impact on the Cavaliers once the playoffs come around.

If Atkinson can maintain this trend and rely on the team's depth, Cleveland's stars will hopefully be rested and ready to go when the postseason begins.

On the other hand, the Boston Celtics are playing their core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White for an average of over 34 minutes a night. And this is nothing compared to Tom Thibodeau's New York Knicks, who have his stars play upwards of 40 minutes a night.

The workload management of Cleveland's stars is just one more example of the impact Atkinson has had on this Cavaliers team and why he's a deserving winner of back-to-back Coach of the Month Awards.