The Cleveland Cavaliers knew they needed someone who could take their backcourt to a whole new level.
That’s why they decided to replace J.B. Bickerstaff with Kenny Atkinson.
Atkinson had already found some success with a young team, the Brooklyn Nets.
His time with the Golden State Warriors refined his sharp offensive mind as he learned from Steve Kerr and coached one of the greatest backcourts of all time.
That’s why, if someone can talk about Stephen Curry, It’s most definitely Coach Atkinson.
With that in mind, some fans may be excited to learn that Atkinson saw a lot of Curry in Darius Garland last night.
Following the win over the Detroit Pistons, the Cavs’ coach claimed that Garland played like the four-time NBA champion (via Evan Dammarell):
“It’s like watching Steph. You’re caught in awe,” he said.
“It’s like watching Steph. You’re caught in awe.”#Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson on some of the moves Darius Garland displayed tonight.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) January 28, 2025
Of course, perhaps this is a bit of a stretch, as Curry is a unique talent and one of the greatest players of all time, not to mention the best shooter to ever grace the face of the Earth.
Nevertheless, there are some similar concepts in both of these teams’ offenses.
Garland is a very talented player who has rarely strung good games together.
He has become significantly more aggressive and efficient under Atkinson’s guidance, which has been one of the keys to this team’s success this season.
He’s pretty young, and if he keeps finding ways to coexist with Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt, perhaps they will be able to find the same success that Curry and the Warriors found a decade ago.
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