The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming out shortly after their second-best regular season in franchise history.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 64-18 record during the 2024-25 NBA season was second only to the LeBron James-led Cavs in the 2008-09 season.
The Cavs had a record of the franchise’s top 66-16 franchise of that season. But going back to the current version of the organization, many may wonder how the Cavaliers achieved it.
Now, the only major change the franchise has made was replacing JB Bickerstaff with Kenny Atkinson as head coach.
The front office made no major changes to the roster after Atkinson’s arrival, but he promoted the team.
After all, the preseason Cavaliers finished off with a 48-34 record on roughly the same roster. Certainly, the Cavs were unable to get past the second round of the 2025 postseason, but the team is heading in the right direction.
It could be due to Atkinson’s extensive knowledge thanks to his stints as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.
Before arriving in Cleveland, Atkinson also had a four-year stint with the Brooklyn Nets as head coach.
With that in mind, the Cavaliers are preparing for their second year at Cleveland, so certainly they hit gold on Atkinson.
In his first year with the Cavaliers, Atkinson earned the NBA Coach of the Year honor. This simply proves that Kenny was the best coach in the league last season.
So, what’s next for him? Well, the most obvious next step is to fix the Cavs’ flaws from the 2025 playoffs.
After all, even the number one seed at the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers couldn’t match the Indiana Pacers led by Tyrees Halliburton. That was evident in the Cavaliers’ 4-1 second round loss vs. Pacers.
According to the report, the Cavaliers are confident in their championship ambitions heading into the 2025-26 NBA season. However, he collaborated with Will Atkinson. Will you succeed in realizing their dreams? Only time can be seen.