LeVert’s resurgence can be attributed to relationship with Atkinson: ‘We’re super close’
The Cavs continue to play their best offense with LeVert on the floor.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been arguably the best team in the league since the start of the season. How they’ve been able to achieve that is what has been surprising. Their offense and their deep bench rotation have gotten them off to that start. Caris LeVert is a big reason why both have been so good.
Cleveland’s offense is scoring 123.9 per 100 possessions through six games. That number jumps to 133.8 when LeVert has been on the floor. This has led to him having the highest individual offensive rating in the league for players averaging more than 15 minutes per game.
This came through once again in the Cavs’ win over the Orlando Magic. LeVert led the team in plus/minus while contributing 13 points and seven assists in 22 minutes of play.
Individual offensive rating and on/off numbers shouldn’t be taken out of context. Many other factors play into it that are outside of an individual’s control. But it does speak to how impactful LeVert has been. That is only possible because of where he’s getting his shots.
“In Brooklyn, we really implored him to be a more efficient player, and we didn’t get there,” Atkinson said. “He was a darn good player, but his efficiency has always been an improvement area. And we’re just doubling down on helping him there. That’s in the development area. That’s watching film. That’s making him understand what a good shot profile looks like.”
That message has translated over to the court for LeVert. He’s taking the highest percentage of shots at the rim than he has at any point in his career (89th percentile in attempts at the rim). This has, fortunately, come at the expense of the mid-range shot which is the lowest frequency it’s been in his career.
Getting to the rim more has also allowed him and his teammates to easily move the ball when the defense breaks down. The Cavs are assisting on 64.7% of their made baskets with an outstanding 3.5 assist-to-turnover ratio when LeVert is on the floor.
LeVert attributes this change to having a more consistent role.
“In years past, I would be used more when Darius [Garland] or [Donovan Mitchell] were injured,” LeVert said. “When they were both healthy, I was just not really utilized the same way. I think this season, I’m utilized the same way whether they’re playing or not. I think that’s honestly the biggest difference.”
LeVert is playing with freedom on and off-ball no matter who is out there. That’s made easier when Mitchell and Garland are both consistently sprinting in transition and more active off-ball. But it also speaks to the level of trust and buy-in LeVert has with Atkinson.
How comfortable you are in your role or situation isn’t something that you can easily quantify. But you do see it come through on the court. Being reunited with Atkinson is a big part of that. Atkinson’s understanding of how to maximize LeVert’s game and LeVert’s trust in his head coach has made all of the difference so far.
“It just brings me a level of comfort,” LeVert said about being with Atkinson. “It’s like any other relationship. When you’ve been with someone for a long time, you just have a level of comfort with them. I was with Kenny for five years. We kind of went through the wringer, lost a lot of games, went to the playoffs. We saw the ups and downs. When you’re with someone every single day, you see the true parts of them. You just get very familiar with them.”
Talent has never been an issue with LeVert. He’s an incredible ball handler, distributor, and shooter. But those individual skills have sometimes been less than the sum of their parts. That is something that wasn’t the case under Atkinson when both were in Brooklyn and isn’t the case so far this season.
It’s easy to forget the human element when it comes to talking about basketball or looking at stats. The connection LeVert has with Atkinson is a large reason why he’s playing like he has so far. That is something that can’t and shouldn’t be overlooked.
“I’m super close with Kenny,” LeVert said. “He knows my family. I know his. I was just super excited when he got the job.”