Atkinson has won both Eastern Conference of the Month awards this season.
It’s difficult to see anyone other than Kenny Atkinson winning Coach of the Year at this point. The Cleveland Cavaliers are night and day a different team than they were in seasons past. The roster is the same. The only difference is who’s at the helm. It isn’t too surprising that Atkinson picked up his second straight Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award.
Atkinson quickly deflected credit when he won this award for the first time even though his players couldn’t stop praising him. That happened again when he addressed the team after winning the award again.
“It’s about this group,” said Atinson to his team after practice on Thursday. “It’s about our identity. We’re just empowering you. That’s all we’re doing. It’s real simple. [This] group was great already, keep going. [I] keep saying when you’re this connected, you can do something really special. So that’s where we’re, that’s where I feel we’re headed.”
Atkinson is right to an extent. The Cavs already were an incredibly talented team when he took over. That showed through in moments even though they weren’t as consistent as their skill level suggested they should be. This came back to bite them in the playoffs, particularly the 2023 series against the New York Knicks.
We don’t know exactly how this will look in the playoffs, but all of the issues that haunted the Cavs in the past are no longer there. They went from having the 18th-ranked offense last season to having the top-ranked offense this season. Additionally, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are having the best seasons of their career while still having room for Donovan Mitchell to play at an All-NBA level. Atkinson deserves a lot of credit for both the offense and getting the Cavs’ top players on the same page.
It doesn’t matter that he deflects the praise, Atkinson deserves it all the same.