Report: Kenny Atkinson was ‘adamant’ about keeping Mobley and Allen to retain defensive mindset

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson was “adamant” about the franchise keeping both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen on the roster this season, according to Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto.

“The new coach was adamant about keeping big men Mobley and Allen on the roster in order to retain the defensive mindset,” Pluto wrote.

So far, it seems like Atkinson’s desire to have both big men on the roster was the right call.

The Cavs have gotten off to a fast start in the 2024-25 season, winning their first seven games to take the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder (6-0) are the only other team in the league that is undefeated entering Monday’s action.

There have been concerns about the fit between Mobley and Allen on offense since neither player is a great 3-point shooter, but Atkinson clearly values what both players bring on the defensive end of the floor.

In seven games this season, Allen is averaging 15.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 73.2 percent from the field. After finishing 10th in the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year voting last season, Allen is averaging more blocks (1.4 compared to 1.1 last season) and steals (0.9 this season to 0.7 last season) per game in the 2024-25 campaign.

As for Mobley, who finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2022-23 season, he’s also seen some of his defensive numbers go up early on this season.

Mobley is averaging a career-high 1.0 steal per game and blocking 1.6 shots per game – the second-highest mark of his NBA career.

Offensively, the young big man is averaging 17.7 points per game while shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3. While Mobley is only attempting 1.7 shots from beyond the arc per game, he’s starting to show that he can space the floor on offense, which would make it easier for the Cavs to keep him and Allen on the floor together.

Hopefully, Atkinson’s desire to keep both bigs will pay off in the long run, as the Cavs would love to contend for a title in the 2024-25 season. Cleveland has made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, advancing to the second round last season before losing to the Boston Celtics in five games.