Cavs Tip Off Preseason And Kenny Atkinson Era Is Sort Of Here

October 7, 2024

The dawn of a new era is upon us. OK, it’s only the dawn of a preseason era, but at least the Cavaliers are back in action in some capacity. And that capacity is the first (unofficial) game in franchise history under coach Kenny Atkinson.

Other than that, Cavs fans know the names, from Donovan Mitchell to Darius Garland to Evan Mobley to Jarrett Allen and beyond. Tipoff vs. the Bulls is set for 7 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

So, what should we expect to see? Well, probably not a whole lot. It is, after all, just a scrimmage.

That means very little of the main men (if any minutes at all), lots of young guys trying to make an impression, and a few hopefuls who won’t make the standard roster playing at crunch time. At this time of year, it’s not about winning. It’s about playing the right way, and in the case of the Cavs, that means the Atkinson way.

But there will be a few intriguing storylines here. A lot of fans can’t wait to get a look at first-round pick Jaylon Tyson, who’s received high praise for his showing at training camp in Florida last week. Tyson also fared well at summer league, and now he gets the chance to strut his stuff against real NBA players (as opposed to you know, summer-league players who may likely have taken off to some foreign country or are awaiting a call from the G League).

We will also get a peek at Atkinson’s offense, which promises to consist of more cutting, more passing, move movement and perhaps even more 3-pointers. In today’s NBA, you can never take enough threes. But the idea will also be for the Cavaliers to get more easy looks at the basket.

Regardless, here we are again. NBA preseason basketball in Cleveland. It’s not quite the real thing, but it is a start.