This Continues To Be A Key Piece Of Cavaliers' Success

Kenny Atkinson calls the Cleveland Cavaliers depth "an embarrassment of riches."

Oct 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3), guard Darius Garland (10), and forward Dean Wade (32) look on from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The core four of Darius Garland, Donovan Michell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are obviously one of the primary reasons the Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a historic 14-0 start to the season.

However, they can't play all 48 minutes, and Kenny Atkinson doesn't need them to do that to win games, either. This Wine and Gold roster is loaded with talent from the starting lineup to the reserves on the bench, and that depth continues to be a key piece to their success.

The players who are currently leading the charge in the second unit are Caris LeVert (12.4 PPG), Ty Jerome (9.8 PPG and 3.4 AST), and Sam Merrill (6.2 PPG and .39 3P%).

Nov 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) controls the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Then there is the defensive duo of Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade, who have taken turns starting at small forward in place of the injured Max Strus or coming off the bench. All of this has been contingent on Cleveland's opponent and that night's matchups.

Cleveland's historic win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night was a fantastic example of how important this depth has been to start the season.

Mobley was sick and did not end up playing in the game. So, Atkinson slid Georges Niang into the starting lineup, and he answered the call with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Cleveland's head coach said after the game the reason he went with Niang in the starting five was so that they could still use Wade off the bench as a backup five.

This ability to mix and match players in different positions or arrange a lineup on any given night (and still come away with an 18-point win) is a luxury that not all teams have.

Atkinson is very aware of this as he called the bench "an embarrassment of riches."

"When you have this much depth, it's fun," said Cleveland's coach after the wine over the Bulls.

Having so many capable players has also relieved the pressure on Cleveland's stars, keeping them fresh through the first part of the season.

Mitchell is currently averaging a career-low 31.1 minutes per game. Same with Garland, who is currently only playing 30.1 minutes a game. We should be celebrating Kenny's ability to get the most out of his stars while still not overplaying them this early in the season.

As long as Cleveland's reserves can keep playing like this and taking the load off the core four, the Cavaliers are going to be one of the toughest teams to beat in the regular season and into the playoffs.