‘Energetic’ shift helped Cavs before Harden trade and big trip West

The Cavs returned home from a grueling 12-day, five-city road trip carrying plenty of momentum. Entering Wednesday night’s matchup against Washington at Rocket Arena, Cleveland has won four straight games and nine of its last 10, sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference, closing in on second place.

Ideastream Public Media’s commentator Terry Pluto said a shift occurred before the blockbuster trade for James Harden at the trade deadline.

“About six weeks ago, they had a record of 17-16,” Pluto said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, the team is falling apart.’ I had even had one person in the media said, ‘They’re imploding.’ I’m like, well, you know, let’s just see.”

What followed has been anything but an implosion.

“I say it’s just more balanced basketball, more energetic basketball,” Pluto said.

That shift, Pluto explained, began with adjustments made by head coach Kenny Atkinson, who reassessed both his rotation and his approach.

“(Atkinson) recalibrated on what it was going to take to get the team back on track,” Pluto said.

Pluto said Atkinson leaned more heavily on younger players, including Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter Jr. and Nae’Qwan Tomlin, while centering the offense around the team’s 7-footer, Evan Mobley.

“(Atkinson) kept stressing, ‘We got to get to ball inside more.’”

After Mobley went down with a calf injury, the team’s other big man, Jarrett Allen, stepped up, highlighted by a 40-point, 17-rebound night in Portland on Feb. 1.

As the Cavs began to steady themselves, a difficult decision followed; trading All-Star guard Darius Garland. Pluto said the numbers help explain why.

“When Garland played this year, the Cavs were 13-13,” Pluto said. “And without him this year they are 20-8 and trending up.”

Garland, who has been dealing with a right toe sprain, had missed his final nine games with Cleveland before the trade to the L.A. Clippers. Lawrence Frank, the Clippers president of basketball operations said Monday that Garland’s right toe is feeling better, but the guard is still recovering from an offseason left toe surgery.

Pluto said that beyond Garland’s injuries, there were questions about how he fit alongside star Donovan Mitchell on the court.

Meanwhile, Pluto said Mitchell’s influence goes far beyond scoring.

“Kenny Atkinson has told me how at times Mitchell has propped him up a little bit when things were discouraging early in the year and saying, ‘Coach, we’ll figure it out,’” Pluto said. “Mitchell is such a key part of what they’ve done here in the last several years. (He’s) not only a star and an All-Star, his attitude is tremendous.”

The result has been a team playing with visible joy and intensity.

“They’re just playing fun basketball,” Pluto said. “Obviously, winning is fun, but they’re playing fun basketball because of the energy. You could just see it.”

That energy received another jolt with Harden’s arrival. While Pluto had reservations about the trade, he said the early returns reflect a familiar pattern.

“One of the scouting reports I got on James is when he goes to a new team, you usually get the best version of Harden for a while,” Pluto said. “And I think that’s what they’re getting.”

That version, Pluto noted, is defined by playmaking and feel.

“A guy who looks to move the ball and get his teammates involved, being excellent at throwing … the ball to a big man,” Pluto said. “That’s a skill that’s sometimes lost in the NBA.”

Harden’s impact extended beyond passing in Monday’s signature win at Denver.

“He decided to go help and rebound,” Pluto said. “He had 10 rebounds, and he had seven assists in that game.”

More than the numbers, Pluto said, Harden’s presence fueled belief.

“It created that immediate influx of optimism the team needed, which it was already building after, frankly, Garland got hurt and was out,” Pluto said.

As the Cavs surge up the standings, Pluto believes their change in approach may be just as important as their record.

“This style of basketball is tougher (and) more defensive oriented,” he said. “That will serve them better in the playoffs than just going out and trying to score 140 points and playing pretty basketball.”

Pluto also pointed to Atkinson’s growth in his second season on the sideline.

“He’s learning not just players as basketball players, but as players as people and how to communicate with them,” Pluto said. “The NBA is a star-driven league. It’s a communication league for coaches.”

Pluto said that reputation is now paying off.

“He had a reputation as being a good communicator and a good listener,” Pluto said. “And it took them through that tough period earlier in the year to where we are now.”