Cavs vs Spurs | Kenny Atkinson Post Game | 12.05.2025

And Kenny, what changed for this team in the third quarter? Um, listen, I think starting Dean Wade in the in the uh in the second half helped us. You know, we put him on Fox. You know, everybody’s going to say, well, Vel was getting off, but it was really uh De’aran was in our paint and we we just we had to make that move. We had to put uh put Dean on him just to just to slow it down, change our coverages up a little. Um and then uh and then we rebounded right 13 offensive rebounds in the first half. I mean that was um you know abysmal rebounding and then we we turned out I think they had two offensive rebounds in the in the second half. So those are kind of the keys. And then offensively we we’re you know we’ve been kind of begging our guys to get to the paint more. Um, you know, I know they didn’t have Cornet tonight. Um, but, um, we were we were downhill. Um, you know, Evan was getting getting to the rim and and, uh, it’s kind of the story of the game. I know you’re not expecting Jaylen to necessarily have the scoring outputs that he’s had Monday and tonight, but when he can show that he can score the basketball like this, how does this open up other things for you guys? Um, you know, was interesting and I Tonight it was just wasn’t on catch and shoot. you know, we had that second unit and and that was like um Cal Berkeley uh you know, Jaylen Tyson like like handling making plays, you know, hitting you know um playmaking Jaylen um which he has which we don’t use very much but listen these are things you know who knows in your toolbox you know they start putting the weaker defenders on them they’re denying Don he he can make a play so that that uh that bodess well for uh for the future. Kenny, what have you made of Jaylen Tyson’s maturation over his second season, but also the development that we’ve seen from him this year? Yeah, you know, I’m going to give it give credit two places. I think number one, it’s it’s his um um insane work ethic. Like he’s in one he’s one of those guys. He’s in that that rare whatever that bucket is. Um he’s in it. Um so that’s number one. And then I would say our veteran leadership, um, Don and DG and, uh, Dre, they’re always talking to him. Sometimes I worry too much, you know, but they’re they’re literally coaching him constantly, um, in the huddles, um, you know, in practice, um, in in the film sessions. Um, and they they um, you know, and they do it the right way, right? Really positive coaching. Um those are the those are the two big reasons he’s he’s kind of um exploded here. Porter Jr. was a plus 20 on the floor tonight. He was guarding Darren Fox. He was switching on to Deon Vel. There there were so many different aspects of what he was doing tonight that you got to see what you talked about with the work ethic and stuff from him as well. What are you seeing that is allowing him to get more minutes in tonight’s game? Ethan, I think what you said, his ability to switch, right? Because he’s he’s that um that fireplug guy, right? like you can’t just bully him downhill. Um, you know, he’s not the tallest guy, but he’s he’s got he’s got girth. Um, and then, um, he got us going. I think he got the first steel like he came in and and and he he messed up one play and I yelled at him for that and then and then, you know, so he said we got to pick it up and he he got a steal and I I think after that it like got him going. That that’s kind of how he has to play. Um, that’s his role on this team. Um, and then he helped us rebounding too in the second half. You know, he he’s got that um um elite like quick quick jumper, quick to the ball when the when the when the ball’s up in the air. Nate Kenny, when you’re talking about um being able to learn a lot about your younger guys, like what are some of the things you would look for uh to identify whether any of it could translate to the playoffs? Yeah, you know, we’re we’re talking about that today actually. What what you know, the Naquans and the and the and the and the CPS and and um um the Jail. I I think I think what we’ve tried to do is is really mold them in that with that idea in in in mind like you’re going to do the things you’re doing in the playoffs, not not like regular season role player. These are the things we need you to do. um you know, if you’re a rotational player in the playoffs and like Naqucoin, you know, cutting is is a big, you know, he’s got to be able to cut. He’s got to be a great cutter and cutting matters in the playoffs, especially when they’re loaded up on your guys and they they start blitzing you and you start throwing to that half roll. So, um you know, offensive uh and offensive rebounding too with him. Um and quite and and Jayen and and CB kind of that same role. Now, what where Jaylen surpris surprised us is with the three-point shooting. That wasn’t I wasn’t expecting that, you know. Um so, he’s kind of got both going on. He could, you know, he could um even move up a couple notches. Kind of what Danny was saying, man. Is this a guy that can that could do even more? Um but, uh those two guys, you know, I was thinking of Naquin and and CP. They they have real specific roles right now. JT too, but his his role seems to be expanding a little bit. Space u kind of all-encompassing of the guys that we’ve already talked about, but you had Donovan and Evan in with CP uh Dean and I think it was um uh Jaylen. So, of those five, and I think that was the lineup that really got you back in in the third, just what is the synergy between that? Feels like there’s some balance maybe between the vets and the young guys together. Yeah. Was Naquin wasn’t in that? No, no, no, no. Um yeah. Um and and really um you know I’m I experiment a lot with with lineups and and uh um probably should have started Dean quite honestly that that might have been why we didn’t get off to a good start. Um so that that that that was on me and and um you know Dean those guys play have played together you know a lot. They have a they have a they have a synergy and a and and a chemistry. Um sometimes you throw a new player, you know, or or young player into that that can that can even one guy can get him off, you know, offkilter a little bit. So, um that group had real real good synergy tonight. Even CP, they you know, they they know what he does. They’re real comfortable with his what he, you know, um they know where he’s going to be on the court. So, that that helps. You were really um complimementaryary of Wanzo before the season started. I know he had a tough game last one, but tonight looked like he was just himself playing defense. And I’m so glad you brought that up and I should have cuz cuz I thought his defense was was phenomenal and then his rebounding and then you know made a couple of those Lonzo type passes. His um you guys are talking before the before the um the game just his joy was seemed to be back, you know. Um he seemed like that’s that’s Alonzo spirit-wise and joywise that um um that we need. Um so it was good to see him get that that mojo back. Chris Rachel. Hey Kenny, you mentioned going with Dean to start the second half. Your numbers with Dean in the starting lineup over the last couple of years have been really really good. And you’ve mentioned that too, but when you’ve had absences, you haven’t gone with him in the starting lineup. Why is that? um we don’t want to run his minutes up really high. I’m not saying it’s on a restriction, but we there is um there are some parameters there. I’ll just say that. So that that that factors that factors in. You know, he played the most games um I think it was his most games he’s played, right, last year um participated in. So the key our our number one key for him last year was keep him available and we want to continue that. Um cuz in the past, you know, he he’d always come. So, we’re um I’m always cognizant of um of his minutes. Um and when he starts, it makes it hard to keep those those minutes reasonable. For you, have you found yourself yelling more at the guys this year than than in the past? Uh yeah, I had one little little mini explosion tonight, you know. Um, but listen, this is part of the frustration sometimes. And you know, some, you know, like I said, when you’re things aren’t rolling like a some, you know, sometimes I feel like what blew me off tonight was the rebounding like like I was just like there that that’s the one where it’s like that’s that’s kind of like the um not acceptable line. And I think you got to you got to let the guys know. Um but u definitely I mean last year was a picnic, right? Like we didn’t we didn’t have many moments like that. So, um, it’s good they’re starting to see the see the real me, you know, last two, Rachel and Kenny about spirit. Yeah. And you addressed the last game that was at home that they came into the locker room and that their spirit wasn’t there, their heads were hanging, shoulders sagging. Going into the locker room during halftime today and losing at that point, you were not in the lead. How was your spirit today in the locker room during halftime and did you have to adjust? Great question. Um um yeah, even though we were down and things weren’t going great, the spirit it was a lot better um for some reason and it wasn’t anything I said. Um but I walked in and and uh um you know and I think Donovan was was you know saying some positive things that cuz we have the film going on during the during when when I walk in. And so they’re watching clips and stuff, but um tonight it was not that the spirit was still there. Our um you know, our um camaraderie was there. I could feel it. Um last game I didn’t. So hopefully that was an outlier. Hopefully that that was a that was a one-off. Um even during the bench in the first half when they were, you know, when they’re making their runs, I thought we kept our kept our our positive um you know, kind of positive way. And a lot of times that we feed off Don, right? He he’s kind of our, you know, um, who we follow and he, you know, most of the time he’s he’s, uh, he’s got a positive, uh, spirit about him. All right, Scoop, finish it up for us. Scoop. Hey, so quick turnaround tomorrow, play against the goals. They were as a team you know well. Yeah. Um, this isn’t your first time playing against them, but do you twoart question. Do you do you find yourself looking forward to that game? And do guys in your locker room ever ask you about those experiences in 22 on that bench with the Warriors? Yeah, I’ll I’ll ask I’ll answer the second part. I talk about those because there’s so many great I I’ve learn I learned so many great lessons um you know from Steve obviously, but also from Draymond and Steph. Um so you know um I I’ll relate stories of of stuff we went through in Golden State. Um, I’ll uh and I’ll reference players. Um, I reference Steph a fair amount, right? His work ethic and and Draymond and his leadership and defensive um um communication. I’ll say that to Evan. And I think they like, you know, they obviously our players respect that program a lot and and I of course do. So, um not not shy about that. Um, and yes, I look forward I look forward because those are my, you know, um, got a lot of friends over there. So, just from a relationship standpoint, I I love seeing them. Um, Steve is a great mentor of mine. So, that that’s great. Um, and yeah, it’s more special. It’s special when you play those um, you know, play a team like that who had such great experiences with. Um, I was love seeing those guys. All right. Good. All right.

Kenny Atkinson spoke to the media following a 130-117 win over the Spurs in Cleveland.

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