When the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that Kenny Atkinson was to become their new head coach last June, it hardly drew any headlines outside of Ohio. 

The coverage of the NBA’s offseason coaching carousel was dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to go with 15-year NBA veteran JJ Redick as their lead tactician and their team’s strong start drew even more attention to them.

The work that Atkinson has done so far with the Cavaliers has inevitably been under the Lakers’ shadow, but that may not be the case for much longer.

Cleveland handily beat Los Angeles in their first regular season meeting, 134-110, as they kicked off the game with a strong first quarter and did not look back. Cleveland led by 19, 42-23, following the opening period behind the 13-point quarter of Donovan Mitchell. The five-time NBA All-Star finished the game with 24 points, four three-pointers, three assists, seven assists, and three steals. 

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The most stunning line of the night though came from fourth-year forward Evan Mobley who was saddled with foul trouble for most of the match, yet still finished with 25 points on 12-of-16 shooting in just 18 minutes of play. The other half of the Cavaliers’ twin towers, Jarrett Allen, was equally dominant with 20 points on nine-of-12 shots and 17 rebounds in 30 minutes.

Atkinson handily outcoached Redick in this contest, though the result of the game was overshadowed once again, this time by the first NBA basket of LeBron James’ son and teammate, Bronny James, who was born in Cleveland during his father’s first stint with the team.

If the Cavaliers continue to generate results such as this one, Atkinson should receive the credit that he deserves in due time. With the win, Cleveland improved to a league-best 5-0 on the season and are now the only remaining undefeated team in the Eastern Conference. 

What has worked so far for Atkinson and the Cavaliers is that they are focused on maximizing their twin tower duo of Mobley and Allen who have the size, strength, and mobility to outplay practically any opposing tandem. As a result, both Mobley and Allen are averaging career-highs in points so far this season and based on the early results, it would not come as a surprise if this continues for the rest of the season.

The addition of Mitchell to this Cleveland team last year gave them the type of superstar necessary to compete for championships, but ultimately, this team’s ceiling will be decided by how well Mobley and Allen can play together.

If Atkinson can continue to strike a balance between playing through Mobley and Allen while still giving Mitchell and Darius Garland enough touches to keep them engaged, these Cavaliers should be able to break through. They can realistically become a top team in the East where the field this year looks wide open behind the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics.

It has only been six years since James left Cleveland for the Lakers, but the Cavaliers’ front office has been diligent in their rebuilding process and are now in prime shape to contend once more. With Atkinson now at the helm, the future is bright for Cleveland and the sky is truly the limit for this young team.

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