Pressure is mounting already on the Cavaliers this season.
After making a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, then adding guards Peyton Watson and Meleek Thomas to strengthen its bench, Cleveland has gone just 5-6 to open the 2026-27 campaign. James Harden (15.3 PPG, 5.7 APG) has faced a steep decline in numbers, while Donovan Mitchell is on pace for his lowest points per game total (22.8) since his rookie season.
There's plenty of time left for the Cavaliers to turn it around, but with an expensive roster and a lot of talent, Kenny Atkinson's team was pinned as one of the best in the conference. If things don't change, it may even cost the coach his job.
Here's why one analyst predicted Atkinson may be fired by the Cavaliers if they don't turn things around soon.
Why NBA analyst 'would be shocked' if Cavs don't fire Kenny Atkinson during struggles
The Cavaliers hired Atkinson in 2024. In his first season, they won 64 games as a No. 1 seed, but lost to the Pacers in the second round. Last season, they won 52 games, but lost to the Knicks in the conference finals.
To this point, Cleveland has been unwilling to subtract from its main core, outside of its swap of Darius Garland for Harden last season. Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have been playing together since 2022-23, but have had four-straight playoff exits without a Finals berth.
With the Cavaliers starting 5-6 this season, including a loss to the Hornets on Monday night, speculation about Atkinson's job is starting to pick up. Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Conner posted on Tuesday that he doesn't see Cleveland keeping Atkinson around "all year" if the team continues to struggle.
"This core is flawed. Harden looks old. Mitchell is flawed. Mobley and Allen are an imperfect frontcourt. Watson looks like a bust and as a whole Cleveland's depth just seems worse," O'Conner wrote on X. "No matter what the Cavs do with Atkinson, Koby Altman will have a lot of work to do. The coaching is a problem, but the core is the main problem."
Seems like every Cavaliers fan wants Kenny Atkinson fired. I would be shocked if that doesn't happen if these struggles continue. But I don't think it'll matter. This core is flawed. Harden looks old. Mitchell is flawed. Mobley and Allen are an imperfect frontcourt. Watson looks like a bust and as a whole Cleveland's depth just seems worse. No matter what the Cavs do with Atkinson, Koby Altman will have a lot of work to do. The coaching is a problem, but the core is the main problem.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) November 10, 2026The Cavaliers have already made one coaching change with their Mitchell-Mobley-Allen core, firing J.B. Bickerstaff after a second-round exit in 2023-24. Bickerstaff went on to join the Pistons, a franchise he has led to the top of the Eastern Conference over the last two seasons.
Assuming Cleveland doesn't turn things around — it sits in the conference's No. 7 seed entering Tuesday — firing Atkinson may just be a precursor to more significant moves. Allen and Mobley have long been speculated about as trade candidates.
Atkinson faced some push back from fans after seeming to call out his starters after Monday's game.
"I want to start with the positive, and that's that last group that came in and played with the requisite energy, passion, toughness," Atkinson said. "It was really indicitive the contrast between that group and the energy our main group had."
#Cavs Kenny Atkinson: "I want to start with the positive, and that's that last group that came in and played with the requisite energy, passion, toughness. It was really indicitive the contrast between that group and the energy our main group had." https://t.co/2DEdsNEdMY
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) November 10, 2026The Cavaliers' next two games are against the Knicks and Heat — so things may get worse before it eases up against Dallas, Chicago and Memphis.
At minimum, Atkinson is looking like a top "hot seat" candidate early this NBA season.
