East Notes: Cavs, Caris LeVert, Celtics, Hawks, Kyle Korver

Cavaliers

Guard/forward Caris LeVert revamped his diet and conditioning during the summer — all in an effort to bounce back from an uneven run after being traded from the Pacers to the Cavs in January.

LeVert spoke to Cavs beat reporter Kelsey Russo of The Athletic on the matter.

“After the season, honestly, I was disappointed,” LeVert said, via Russo. “It was like, I had never really felt like that about basketball before. I didn’t lose any confidence. I was just disappointed in how the season ended and how I was playing.

“So it was like, I don’t know, I really felt like, not even something to prove to other people, it was kind of something I wanted to just prove to myself that I could still be myself or I could still get better because I feel like I’ve gotten better every year. And I just felt like last year I kind of took a step back.”

LeVert is entering the final year of his contract, and as we relayed, neither LeVert nor the Cavs are in any sort of rush on an extension.

Last season, LeVert appeared in just 19 games with the Cavs after the trade. That’s a very small sample size, not even a quarter of a season. He averaged 13.6 points and 3.9 assists in that span. If there’s one thing he proved, it’s that he’s capable of breaking down defenders off the dribble. Fitting in entirely with the rest of the offense remained a bit of a question mark.

“For me, it was just trying to just show them that last year was really just a fluke,” LeVert told Russo. “So I really was just trying to come in here five steps ahead of everything, make sure my conditioning was steps ahead and make sure my skill set was steps ahead. So but no, the conversation has been pretty consistent with J.B. Bickerstaff, kind of just do what you do, do it well, make sure you’re defending and stay aggressive offensively.”

• In case you missed it, here are some Dribbles on LeVert and the Cavs’ vacancy at small forward. You can check out everything out of Cleveland on our Cavs page.

Celtics

• After failing to land Jay Larranaga from the Clippers as an assistant coach, the Celtics are apparently turning their attention elsewhere, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Boston is seeking a replacement for Joe Mazzulla, who was promoted to interim head coach as a result of the Ime Udoka suspension.
• Per Stein, two of those candidates could be former Lakers coach Frank Vogel and former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts. Vogel was originally listed as a candidate by Chris Mannix of SI.com. But the Celtics don’t seem to like their chances of landing either, per Stein.
• In case you missed it, the Celtics are plugging their frontcourt hole by signing veteran forward/center Blake Griffin. We have the full story right here, with more news on our Celtics page.

Hawks

Coach Nate McMillan likes what he has seen from newcomer Vit Krejci, acquired in a trade with the Thunder.

“He knows how to play,” McMillan said, via Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think he has a high basketball IQ. We put him right out there. It was good to see him be available to play and practice with our guys today. So that was exciting.”

• Former Hawks sharpshooter Kyle Korver is now a member of the team’s front office and is working with some of the players on their perimeter game, as Williams relayed. “I’ve worked with him quite a few times actually,” forward Jalen Johnson said, via Williams. “Kyle has helped me make a few adjustments in my shot. You know, having him around has helped a lot. He’s been helping a lot of these guys, giving them pointers and things they can work on, so it’s good.”