Cavs Weigh Rest Strategy for Jarrett Allen; Raptors Eye Fresh Start with Motivated Ingram; Kings Push Pace in Grueling Camp
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Cleveland, Toronto and Sacramento each opened training camp with distinct priorities as the NBA preseason gets underway.
Cavaliers
Center Jarrett Allen, who played in all 82 regular-season games last year and appeared in nine playoff contests, could see his workload trimmed under new head coach Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson told reporters he has already discussed a possible in-season rest plan with the 26-year-old, noting that Allen is “open” to the idea.
Cleveland’s depth up front makes periodic maintenance feasible. Allen and Evan Mobley headline the rotation, while veterans such as Thomas Bryant give the club additional options. “It’s a great luxury,” Atkinson said, adding that finding floor time for more than 10 players remains challenging.
Raptors
Toronto enters the season after three consecutive years at or below .500 and is looking for a reset. Forward Brandon Ingram, an All-Star and the league’s 2020 Most Improved Player, said he is not focused on outside validation as he tries to reestablish himself following injury-limited campaigns with New Orleans. “When you go try to prove yourself to other people, it never works out,” Ingram said.
Veteran Garrett Temple believes that mindset also applies to recently acquired guards Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, who arrived from New York. During the Raptors’ end-of-camp scrimmage, Ingram showed the versatile scoring punch the team has lacked in recent seasons.
Kings
Sacramento may be setting the early bar for conditioning intensity. Power forward Drew Eubanks called this “probably the hardest training camp” he has experienced, describing daily two-and-a-half- to three-hour practices marked by full-court competition. Interim head coach Doug Christie is running the sessions as the Kings look to improve on consecutive ninth-place finishes.
Source: Hoops Wire
