Cavaliers Slumping Early, and Donovan Mitchell Reportedly Has a Coaching Preference if Changes Come
When the 2025-26 NBA season tipped off, the Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t just a team with playoff aspirations - they were a trendy pick to come out of the East. With a deep, talented roster and high expectations, the thinking was that this group had the tools to make a serious Finals push. But as we close out the calendar year, the reality on the court hasn’t matched the preseason hype.
At 17-14, Cleveland currently sits seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. That’s not a disaster, but for a team that came into the season with championship-level expectations, it’s a clear underperformance. And the recent losses - including a stumble against a shorthanded Warriors squad and defeats to the Bulls and Hornets - have only added to the mounting frustration.
With the Cavs struggling to find consistency, questions are beginning to bubble up about head coach Kenny Atkinson’s future. While no move appears imminent, league sources say there’s been internal discussion about his leadership and whether he’s the right coach to take this team to the next level.
“Kenny does a great job of building up a young team into a winning program,” one source reportedly said. “Does it stop there, though? He hasn’t shown he can take a contender over the top.”
That’s a fair critique when you look at Atkinson’s coaching résumé. He’s known as a developmental coach - someone who can lay the foundation and help a young roster grow.
But when the ceiling shifts from ‘playoff berth’ to ‘championship contention,’ the conversation changes. And in Cleveland, the expectations have clearly shifted.
If the Cavaliers were to make a change - and again, that’s still a big “if” - there’s already speculation about who could take the reins in the interim. According to reports, Donovan Mitchell would favor assistant coach Johnnie Bryant for the role.
Bryant, who previously served as an assistant with the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks, has a strong relationship with Mitchell that dates back to their time in Utah. That connection reportedly played a role in Mitchell's past interest in joining the Knicks. Now, with Bryant on the Cavs’ bench, it’s not surprising he’d be Mitchell’s pick to step in if a coaching change were to happen.
Of course, this is all hypothetical for now. Atkinson is still in charge, and the Cavaliers have time to right the ship.
But in the NBA, time is a luxury that can vanish quickly. If the Cavs don’t start trending upward soon, the pressure to shake things up - whether that’s in the rotation, the front office, or on the bench - will only intensify.
For now, Cleveland’s coaching situation is stable. But the clock is ticking. And with a roster built to win now, the margin for error is shrinking fast.