Why Kenny Atkinson believes the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to be alright

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a less than favorable start to the 2025-26 NBA season.

Through the team's first 27 games of the season, they sport an overall record of 15-12 which, if the season ended today, would push them into the NBA's Play-In tournament at the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They've struggled to shoot the ball consistently well, player's have shown lackluster effort and countless injuries have shown up in each game's pregame report.

But somehow, someway, head coach Kenny Atkinson is not panicking.

On Sunday, Dec. 14, Atkinson talked to the media before a loss to the Charlotte Hornets, 119-111, in overtime. He spoke to the issues the team has been having and how he's currently handling the defeats the the Cavaliers have suffered.

“The sky is not falling,” Atkinson said before the game. “Crises aren’t happening. … Catastrophes are not happening…just so you guys know. We’re going to be all right.”

And then, the team was dominated in a number of ways by the Hornets.

The Cavaliers' shooting efficiency was nearly seven percent below the Hornets' at a mark of eFG% of 46.3%. They were also outrebounded 53-46, with the team's leading rebounder being second-year pro Jaylon Tyson, and were out-assisted, 28-27.

The loss marked the sixth over the last 10 games.

So, why does Atkinson not seem concerned with the Cavaliers' bumps in the road?

To be honest, a main reason is because of Donovan Mitchell.

As long as Mitchell's healthy, Cleveland cannot be ruled out of any game. His ability to take over and be a game-changer is untapped by many others in the league, especially in 2025.

He's currently averaging an incredible 30.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists on splits of 49.4% from the field and 38.1% from deep range. He's also on pace to have the second-most amount of steals in his career at a mark of 1.4.

The six-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection is single-handedly saving the Cavaliers from a below .500 record. He has four 40-point games, 14 games over 30 points and has only scored below 20 points four times.

When he struggles, Cleveland does. When he thrives, Cleveland does.

He's been dominant and is on pace to potentially be in MVP discussions as the season starts to approach its midway mark.

Atkinson should be concerned, even though he's not, because with injuries to multiple guards, including Darius Garland and Max Strus, all it takes is Mitchell going down to send this team's ceiling into the dirt completely. 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley is also not where he needs to be developmentally yet, especially on the offensive end. He's not ready to take over and help lead the Cavaliers to a win.

While Atkinson's beliefs in the team remain high, Mitchell has started to show frustrations in the team's losses, saying that the fanbase deserves better.

“We’re not playing well,” Mitchell said. “The city deserves better than what we’ve been giving them.”

The Cavaliers will look to return to winning ways on Wednesday, Dec. 17, against the Chicago Bulls from the United Center in Chicago. The two sides will square away at 8:00 p.m. EST.