CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Kenny Atkinson era officially commences tonight as the Cavs face off against the Chicago Bulls in their preseason opener. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Eastern at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, marking the first glimpse of Atkinson’s strategic imprint on the team.
After a summer focused on internal development and refining the roster, the Cavaliers enter the preseason eager to test the new systems implemented by Atkinson and his coaching staff. This preseason will be crucial in evaluating three key areas: the pace of play, Evan Mobley’s expanded offensive responsibilities, and the depth of rotations, which will provide multiple players a chance to solidify their roles ahead of the regular season.
“I think we’re continuing to push the pace,” veteran forward Georges Niang said ahead of Tuesday’s matchup. “That’s one thing that Kenny has came in and said, you definitely want to continue to grow and play faster … get the ball up to court with the pass more than the dribble.
“We have two elite rim running bigs, getting them on easy layups and dunks by running the floor and keeping them motivated to run the floor that the ball is going to get to them through the pass more than we are going to be dribbling the ball up the court.”
Atkinson has expressed a preference for a 10-man rotation, with flexibility to expand to 11 depending on matchups. With the starting five essentially set — Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley — attention turns to the remaining spots in the rotation. Caris LeVert, a trusted player from Atkinson’s tenure in Brooklyn, is expected to continue his impactful sixth-man role.
“I expect to still be in that similar role as I was last year, giving us some boosts off the bench,” LeVert said during training camp at IMG Academy. “[I’m] pretty comfortable in that role as well, and really took pride in it last year.”
The preseason, and early regular season, will provide Atkinson an opportunity to experiment with lineups, balancing his desire to maintain the Cavs’ elite defensive identity, which has ranked in the league’s top 10 in defensive rating for three consecutive seasons, while evolving their offensive schemes to compete with the NBA’s top-tier teams.
Here’s what to know about the Cavs’ first preseason matchup:
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls
Series: First game of the preseason for the Cavs
Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
When: 7 p.m. ET.
The point spread: Cavs minus-4.5; O/U 219.5
TV: Bally Sports Ohio
