The Cleveland Cavaliers have begun to show cracks in their rotations. The defense has begun to slip, and rebounding has fallen off, and with it, three losses in seven games have made them look beatable.
When speaking to the media on April 1, head coach Kenny Atkinson admitted that both defense and rebounding had been a focus in that day’s practice session.
“We really had slippage in the past month,” Atkinson said. “We did a couple drills today, like in college, box out drills. And we showed some film on it. Listen, sometimes it’s coach slippage too. I don’t want to put it all on the players. I asked our staff, ‘Have we slipped in terms of emphasizing it?’ This is the challenge we have. We have so many things on the wall to get better at, but I feel like it gets glossed over sometimes.”
Atkinson’s comments came as the Cavaliers finally got to work through some of their issues. The team has been unable to practice for weeks. Now that the coaching staff and players have worked through the film and put some plans in place, the hope is that their defense and rebounding will improve.
Atkinson Had Previously Called Out Rebounding
On March 28, the Cavaliers lost to the Detroit Pistons 122-133. During that game, Detroit secured 16 offensive boards. Atkinson shared his disappointment in his team’s rebounding effort during his postgame news conference.
“I think there’s some technique stuff,” Atkinson said. “I think sometimes it comes down to hitting first. It’s just physicality and aggressiveness. With rebounding, there’s not a ton of tactics involved. At the end of the day, I think I’ve come to the conclusion it’s whoever gets hit first, drives the other guy out, and you go get the rebound. It’s obvious we’re lacking in that area right now.”
Atkinson continued.
“I told the guys, ‘Listen. What you don’t want is to be down in a series 2-0 because you’re getting pounded on the boards.’ There’s other things you know that can happen. But having that happen is kind of inexcusable. So, it’s definitely something we got to turn to. We’ve got to fix.”
The Cavaliers are a top-10 rebounding team in the league. As such, it’s unlikely their issues on the glass will become a larger problem. The issue should be rectified before the playoffs begin.
Atkinson Wants Cavaliers to Show Discipline
During a March 18 news conference following the Cavaliers’ loss to the LA Clippers, Atkinson pointed toward his team’s overall lack of discipline on the defensive end.
“They played great,” Atkinson said. “Elite shot-making performance by them. A poor defensive performance by us…Our lack of discipline, fouling them, putting them on the line. And then giving them second-chance points. Even though they did have an elite shot-making game, we didn’t do the little things. We weren’t disciplined on the margins. That’s why you give up 132 points.”
The Cavaliers have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season. They’re a genuine threat to the Boston Celtics‘ chances of coming out of the Eastern Conference. However, Cleveland must fix its defensive issues, including its recent rebounding slippage. Otherwise, a dominant regular season would have been for nothing.
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