How the Cavs are using the ocean, golfing and fishing to build team chemistry

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson claimed that the team spent much of Tuesday night building camaraderie through activities such as golfing and fishing.

The Cavaliers kicked off their training camp at IMG Academy — located in Bradenton, Fla. — on Tuesday. Cleveland’s training camp will span six days, as it will come to an end on Oct. 6.

It’s of note that the Cavaliers are the first NBA team to hold training camp at the boarding school and sports training destination.

Atkinson has yet to coach a regular-season game for the Cavaliers, yet he has already put time into establishing relationships with some of the team’s best players. He reportedly spent a significant chunk of the offseason with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland.

“Officially hired in early July after an extensive coaching search, Atkinson has spent a bulk of the last three months fostering relationships,” Chris Fedor wrote. “In between other coaching responsibilities, he flew to Las Vegas for a couple days, running players through workouts, having intimate dinners and lengthy sit-downs.

“He ventured to Nashville to work out with Garland and then across the country to Los Angeles for some time alongside Mobley. Immediately following his unforgettable Olympic run with Team France, Atkinson went to Greenwich to spend time with Mitchell, sending Altman and general manager Mike Gansey video clips of Mitchell in the gym splashing jumpers.”

The Cavaliers will use their time in Florida to prepare for the upcoming 2024-25 NBA regular season. Cleveland’s season opener is scheduled for three weeks from Wednesday, as the Cavaliers will travel to Canada to play the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 23.

But Cleveland’s players won’t have much time to relax after training camp comes to an end in a few days. The Cavaliers have four preseason games coming up on the horizon, and Cleveland’s preseason opener is scheduled for just two days following the conclusion of training camp.

Cleveland will tip off its preseason schedule when it takes on the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 8.

Perhaps the Cavaliers will be able to build greater chemistry in Atkinson’s first season leading them than they did in J.B. Bickerstaff’s final season as the team’s head coach because there seemingly aren’t as many question marks surrounding Cleveland.

Namely, Donovan Mitchell’s future as a Cavalier was up in the air last season. He was connected to rival teams — such as the New York Knicks and Miami Heat — in rumors up until he agreed to a three-year, $150.3 million extension to remain with the squad.

It’s too early to tell regarding the level of chemistry that the current iteration of the Cavaliers will foster in the new season, but Atkinson’s comments should have fans of the team feeling optimistic that Cleveland will be a tight-knit group.