Kenny Atkinson's tactical adjustments are aimed at unlocking Evan Mobley's full offensive versatility. If successful, this shift could elevate Mobley into an All-Star tier player and solidify his status as a franchise cornerstone.
PERFORMANCENBA
Kenny Atkinson believes he’s cracked the code for Evan Mobley
Being a coach means understanding how to get the most out of your players. For Kenny Atkinson and the Cleveland Cavaliers, no player's development has been more important than Evan Mobley's. Drafted in 2021, Mobley was a lottery ticket for the future. Five seasons later, his development has largely come secondary to prioritizing Donovan Mitchell's prime. The Cavs have tried to blend both timelines, bringing Mobley along while staying all-in on Mitchell's timeline. This has further complicated an already challenging question: How do you get the most out of a player? What's the balance between pushing someone outside of their comfort zone without losing the big picture of who they are at their core? And how does that fit into the broader team system? Cleveland has been trying to figure that out for years — and Atkinson thinks he might have solved it. "Threading the needle," Kenny Atkinson said. "We've been on different planes of that scale with Mobley, you know, we've pushed it, we've pulled it back… I feel like he's in a good place now; I have a much better grip on how he can be successful on both ends of the floor for us." Most players in Mobley's position spend the first few years of their career racking up usage on uncompetitive teams. You can learn a lot by throwing someone into the fire. But Mobley and his coaching staff haven't had that opportunity while trying to compete in the playoffs.
October 12, 2026Yahoo Sports
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