Ever since LeBron James left Cleveland in 2018, sports in the city have not been as exciting, but that all looks to be changing with the current Cleveland Cavaliers season.
The past two seasons there were small glimpses of a dominant team. Happily that team has shown up this year slaughtering their competition and becoming the team to beat.
The Cavaliers started off this season terrifically, winning their first 15 games, which was the best start to a season in franchise history. Though the Cavaliers had this record breaking start, many wondered if they could keep this success, but the Cavaliers have shown that they can sustain this amount of winning.
The Cavaliers are now 33-4, which is the best record in basketball, recently beating the second best team in the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are 1-1 against the Celtics who are still currently favored to win the NBA Finals despite their record of 27-10.
As this team has gone on this magnificent run, many have posed the question of, why are the Cavaliers so successful? There are multiple reasons why they have been playing so well this season, and one of the main reasons is the coaching.
In the 2024 offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers let go of former head coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, after three straight disastrous postseason exits. They ended up hiring former Brooklyn Nets head coach and Golden State Warriors assistant coach, Kenny Atkinson.
This hire has seemed to be great for the team, as Atkinson has won back to back Coach of the Month awards. The Cavaliers lead the league in offensive rating, points per game, field goal percentage, etc. A big part of this increase in offensive production has been because of Atkinson getting everyone involved on the offensive side of the ball.
Last season, the Cavaliers were in the bottom half of the league in offensive rating and outside of the top 10 in both effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage. They now lead the league in both of these statistics. They have the most efficient offense in all of basketball, and with there being almost no changes to the roster itself, this displays the differences that Atkinson has made for the team.
Evan Mobley has been one of the main beneficiaries of this new offensive scheme. He has been allowed to become a more versatile scorer by doubling his 3-point production and having the ability to be the primary ball handler on some possessions.
Another reason why the Cavaliers have been so good this season is the team chemistry. Many of the players have come out and said that the team’s camaraderie has played a massive role in this great start.
Overall, the team has many reasons that they are successful, from the coaching to the stars to the role players, this team has shown that they are one of the best teams in the league.
