Kenny Atkinson says Caris LeVert has ‘bought in’ after ‘failed’ attempt to change him in Brooklyn

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson’s connection to Caris LeVert can be traced back to before this season. When Atkinson got his first opportunity to serve as a leader from the sidelines at the NBA level with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2010s, he coached a young LeVert.

Back when he was a member of the Nets, LeVert had a penchant for settling for inefficient midrange jumpers. Atkinson admitted that his staff wasn’t successful in getting the 30-year-old to alter his shot diet when they were both with the Nets.

“I failed at Brooklyn, or we failed at Brooklyn trying to get him to change his shot profile,” Atkinson said following the Cavaliers’ 130-101 win over the Nets on Monday night. “We tried. We tried. We tried over and over. We tried everything. That was a big part when I came in was to make another push and he’s bought in.”

This season, LeVert is scoring the ball with greater efficiency than he ever has in the NBA, and he credited the Cavaliers’ ball movement to his success on the offensive side of the ball.

“I’m taking more 3s and trusting my catch and shoot,” LeVert said. “I think we’re moving the ball better, which is leading to more open shots for everybody. I feel like I’ve always been a great shooter so it’s cool to be able to get open looks and knock them down.”

Atkinson said that the efficiency with which LeVert is putting the ball through the bottom of the net has made him a more valuable players to the Cavaliers.

“It’s changing his value,” Atkinson said of LeVert. “His value to our team. His value for future contracts. Have to be efficient in this sport. That’s what teams are looking for and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Amazingly, only six of the shots that LeVert has taken from the field so far in the 2024-25 regular season have come from the midrange. He attempted 52 shots from that vicinity a season ago.

Additionally, he’s not relying on the floater as much as he did last season. He attempted 75 in the 2023-24 campaign yet has taken just six this campaign.

A whopping 143 of LeVert’s 168 shot attempts this season have come either behind the 3-point arc or at the rim, and this change to his shot profile has paid dividends. LeVert is shooting 48.8 percent from 3-point range and 53.0 percent from the field, both of which are career-highs.

LeVert showed how important he’s been to the Cavaliers’ success this season with his performance in Cleveland’s win over the Nets on Dec. 16. In a game the Cavaliers won by nearly 30 points, LeVert dropped 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and also dished out four assists.

Cleveland’s win over Brooklyn marked the team’s second consecutive victory, and the Cavaliers are 1.5 games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the East for the best record in the conference and NBA. The Cavaliers own a record of 23-4 on the season while the Celtics are 21-5.