Atkinson liked Garland kept shooting even though they weren’t falling in Boston.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland had the worst shooting performance of his career in Tuesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics. He went 3-21 from the field, 0-6 from three, and just couldn’t establish any kind of rhythm all night.
The fact that he was able to stay aggressive even when his shot wasn’t falling impressed his head coach.
“We texted after the game,” Atkinson said before Wednesday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans. “I said, ‘I was proud of you for keep being aggressive.’ He texted me back and said, ‘Yeah, last year I probably wouldn’t have done that. I would’ve kind of been shy.’”
The confidence Garland is playing with has made all the difference so far. It’s what has allowed him to be a great closer and led to the best season of his career so far.
There’s a lot of reasons why that confidence has returned. Garland is too skilled to be the player he showed last year. But it shouldn’t be overlooked how Atkinson has empowered him to be the best version of himself. It’s one of the first things that those who used to play for Atkinson bring up when asked about their former coach.
“You got to have a lot of people who believe in you, and Kenny was one of those guys that believed in me,” Jonathan Kuminga, who spent the first three years of his career with Atkinson, said earlier this month. “He helps a lot just having somebody giving you that confidence because you’re not perfect.”
It seems like Atkinson is taking that same approach with Garland.
“I think [him continuing to shoot] speaks to the confidence level we’re talking about,” Atkinson said. “But also your coach has confidence in the quarterback. You know, we’ve won a lot of games because you’re really good. And just because you’re having a bad game it’s not like, ‘Hey, let’s hold back here.’”
Even though Atkinson liked Garland’s aggressiveness as a shooter, that didn’t mean there weren’t areas to improve.
“I felt like he was getting into the lane, getting in the paint,” Atkinson said. “I’ve talked to him about maybe using that probe dribble, you know, the Nash dribble where if you can’t finish, just keep the drive alive. Keep probing. And he’s done a good job. It felt like last night he was a little bit rushed on his finishes.”
Tuesday’s game was a learning experience for everyone. Atkinson included. The Cavs hope that they can grow from those mistakes and keep things going like they did the following night against New Orleans.
