DETROIT — After the Cavs’ win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, head coach Kenny Atkinson joked that he’d call Tom Izzo to get some rebounding advice. But as Cleveland’s struggles on the boards persist, maybe that call should actually be made.
“I always say I’m not a rebounding coach,” Atkinson admitted on Thursday. “I have to find a better way to help these guys because we’re just getting smashed right now. Nineteen offensive rebounds against Portland, 19 again tonight. Your defense can be fine or good, and then you’re giving these extra possessions. It’s just too hard. Teams are too good, and we’ve got to find a way to rebound better as a team.”
This problem isn’t new, but it’s one the Cavaliers have failed to solve.
Since the All-Star break, the Cavs have harped on rebounding, even incorporating a presentation display emphasizing their goal of improving on the glass. Yet, the results have remained stagnant.
Friday’s 133-122 loss to the Pistons was a prime example.
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Although the Cavs had a size advantage, they allowed 43 rebounds (16 on the offensive glass) and 24 second chance points.
In March alone, Cleveland ranks 26th in defensive rebound percentage (68.2%). Over the entire season, they sit 22nd in the NBA at 69.8%, a glaring issue for a squad that prides itself on defensive toughness.
The Cavs are anchored by two premier rim protectors in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, who have built a reputation for making life miserable for opponents attacking the paint. Allen has even adopted a celebration following three-second violations, a symbolic claim to his dominance in the interior.
Cleveland also holds the NBA’s eighth-ranked defense, complemented by physical, versatile defenders like Dean Wade, De’Andre Hunter and Isaac Okoro.
But all of that effort gets undone when teams can get extra looks at the hoop through offensive rebounds.
Too often, opposing squads extend possessions by grabbing offensive boards, either because Cleveland’s bigs are pulled out of position contesting shots or because their surrounding wings and guards aren’t crashing the glass hard enough.
The result? Wasted defensive stops and extra opportunities for opponents to capitalize.
“It’s just hard. You get a stop and they’re getting two, three extra shots at the rim. It’s just not sustainable,” Atkinson said. “Between the offensive rebounds and the free throws, it just kills your defense. You have to finish your defense. You have to finish with a rebound, or you can’t foul ‘em.”
Even the best defense in the league becomes meaningless if the play doesn’t end with a secured rebound.
Over their difficult March stretch, they’ve been outrebounded in seven of their last 10 games.
While some of those battles have come against dominant rebounders like Ivica Zubac and Jonas Valančiūnas, the concern deepens when teams like the Spurs — playing without Victor Wembanyama — still manage to beat them on the offensive boards.
Atkinson has made his stance clear.
“With rebounding, there’s not a ton of tactics involved,” he said. “At the end of the day, I think I’ve come to the conclusion it’s like whoever gets the hit first. Whoever hits first drives the other guy out and you go get the rebound. It’s obvious we’re lacking in that area right now. And I told the guys, I said, listen, what you don’t want is to be down in a series 2-0 because you’re getting pounded on the boards. There’s other things that can happen, but having that happen is kind of inexcusable. So it’s definitely something we gotta turn, we gotta fix.”
Cleveland has lost playoff series in recent years due to a lack of physicality, a narrative they’ve worked hard to change heading into this postseason. But fixing this issue requires more than just Allen and Mobley doing their jobs without overhelping on contests. It demands a full-team effort, including the guards and wings.
The Cavs’ potential playoff opponents in the Eastern Conference won’t let them off the hook.
Of players who have logged at least 60 games this season, Karl-Anthony Towns ranks second in the NBA in rebounds per game (12.8). Giannis Antetokounmpo is sixth at 12.0. Nikola Vucevic, another physical presence, sits ninth at 10.1. Meanwhile, Cleveland’s leading rebounder, Allen, is 10th at 10.0 per game.
It’s not just about the numbers — it’s about the consequences.
Giving up offensive rebounds leads to extra shot attempts, second-chance points, and unnecessary defensive fatigue. It devalues everything the Cavs are trying to accomplish on the other end of the floor.
The next test for the Cavs comes Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers, led by Zubac, who tormented them for 20 rebounds — eight on the offensive glass — just a week ago. In that matchup, Cleveland was thoroughly dominated on the boards, losing the rebounding battle 49-29.
For a team striving to close the season with a top five defense in the league, a fix must come immediately.
The Cavs can’t afford to watch their championship aspirations slip away simply because they couldn’t finish possessions.
“You lose the possession game, that’s been a big theme for us,” Donovan Mitchell said after Friday’s loss in Detroit. “Those are some of the mental errors, some of the physical errors and just upping our mental in that regard and hasn’t been every game, but it’s definitely been some. So I think that [we] just gotta be better.”