Cavs’ Kenny Atkinson challenges Jarrett Allen ahead of Pacers matchup
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson has challenged star big man Jarrett Allen to adapt and slow down the Pacers’ high-octane offense.
When the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers tip off the second round Eastern Conference Playoffs, it’ll mark their fifth meeting of the season, but it’s the first that truly matters. And for all the tactical intrigue that lies ahead, one thing has already been made crystal clear. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson is putting Cleveland’s defensive spotlight directly on Jarrett Allen, his star big man.
“We all know J.A.’s next step is to be able to guard five out, Atkinson said. “I think it’s a challenge. But he’s more than capable with his versatility. I will say this, they apply that, but we also have two bigs offensively, so they’re going to have to guard us too, right? It’s a hard guard for us.
“But I think when we play those two bigs together with our offensive rebounding, our pick and roll offense with J.A., they’re going to have to guard him. So it might seem like a disadvantage for us on one end. It could be an advantage for us on the other [hand].”
The Pacers come into the series wielding one of the NBA’s most dynamic postseason offenses. Indiana features a fluid five-out system that stretches defenses by putting five shooters on the floor at all times. It’s not just theoretical spacing, either. Seven Pacers are averaging double figures in the playoffs, led by Pascal Siakam (19.8 points per game), Tyrese Haliburton (17.6), Myles Turner (16.8), Andrew Nembhard (15.0), Aaron Nesmith (14.8), Bennedict Mathurin (10.3), and T.J. McConnell (10.0). That kind of balanced scoring isn’t just unusual. Instead, it can be borderline unsustainable for defenses that can’t contain every inch of the floor.
“Oh, it’s the hardest thing to guard in basketball is five out, five shooters. It just is,” Atkinson said. “So you’ve got to decide how much you’re going to. It’s the Boston conundrum, it’s Indiana [conundrum]. How much you’re going to switch? Are you going to stay in coverage? Obviously against Miami, we were in coverage a lot, right? We didn’t switch as much. But this series could be different because of the five out.”
