Cavs' Kenny Atkinson Tells Istanbul Campers Most of Them Will Be Role Players

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson led the first Men's Basketball Without Borders Next Up camp in Istanbul on Wednesday, featuring 78 high school prospects from 44 countries and territories.

Atkinson's example was Sam Merrill, a shooter who defends and stays within that role.

"The majority of them will be role players in this league, so you have to do all the dirty work," Atkinson told Basketball Network at the camp. "I think that's the hardest thing for players to understand."

"To get on the court in the NBA, you have to usually support the stars and support the team," Atkinson continued. "That's not only on the court doing the dirty work, but off the court being a great teammate, being positive in the locker room, a connector. We like to use that word a lot. A connector on and off the court. Those are the guys that make it."

Atkinson is entering his third season in Cleveland. The Cavaliers have not reached the NBA Finals since 2018. He is 116-48 in the regular season with the Cavaliers and 13-14 in the playoffs.

The Cavaliers hired him June 28, 2024, five weeks after firing J.B. Bickerstaff. He previously was an assistant in Golden State and head coach in Brooklyn for four years.

Cleveland started 15-0 and finished 64-18. Atkinson was named Coach of the Year. The Cavaliers lost to Indiana in the second round.

Last season ended worse; Cleveland went 52-30, beat Toronto and Detroit in Game 7s, but was swept by New York in the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavaliers led Game 1 by 22 points with 8:19 left but lost 115-104 after the Knicks' 44-11 run in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Cleveland kept Atkinson and his staff within a day of the Game 4 loss. Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported it first. Owner Dan Gilbert put out a statement the night of the sweep crediting the team for taking a step and saying the Cavaliers were nowhere near where they needed to be.

Donovan Mitchell and James Harden told reporters afterward that they wanted Atkinson back. Cleveland acquired Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers in February for Darius Garland. He averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists in the regular season. In the playoffs he averaged 19.2 points and 5.5 assists.

The wing rotation Atkinson returns to changed on Aug. 19, when Cleveland landed Peyton Watson from Denver in a five-team sign-and-trade and moved Max Strus to the Clippers. Watson averaged 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 54 games last season and signed for four years and $88 million. The Cavaliers held the 29th pick in the 2026 draft.

The NBA, FIBA, and the Turkish Basketball Federation announced the staff and the camper list on Aug. 25. Cavaliers center Thomas Bryant is also on it. The camp opened Wednesday at Basketbol Gelisim Merkezi and ends Saturday.