Pat Kavanagh’s breakout starts with the early offense

Pat Kavanagh’s All-Star breakout is everything the Denver Outlaws could’ve hoped for when they traded the third-overall pick in this year’s draft for the 2024 Tewaaraton Award winner. After a mismatched debut in Boston, Kavanagh’s become one of the faces in the league with Denver.

What makes Kavanagh thrive in Denver is not just his ability to play his natural position or his high usage, it’s the perfect balance of his skillset with the personnel and play style around him.

The crux of this comes with the Outlaws transition game.

Through the first half of the PLL season, few teams are pushing the pace like Denver. Head coach Tim Soudan constructed a roster built to run and gun in transition, and with all the pieces settled, that’s happening at an elite clip.

Much is to be made about Logan McNaney’s ability to start the break, Jake Piseno’s elite vision and playmaking with a long pole, and Ryan Terefenko’s ability to stay on the field at all times and make plays at pace.

But the final piece of the puzzle is Kavanagh on attack ready to finish plays.

Kavanagh thrives in chaos, whether manufactured by himself on the ride or on the fast break in transition. When Denver has the numbers, Kavanagh puts his foot on the gas to attack the open space and find a play.

Terefenko is often the party starter for Kavanagh. The duo have quickly developed a strong two-man game on the righty wing. When Terefenko pushes the ball in transition, he runs a pass-down, pick-down for Kavanagh to free his hands and potentially switch the matchup.

It took time for Kavanagh to learn how to play with Terefenko. While he knew a lot about his game, including from matchups against each other in college, Kavanagh needed to learn how to play with Terefenko’s speed and aggressiveness in transition.

“I didn’t realize how aggressive he is in transition,” Kavanagh said. “When he’s absolutely flying down the field, he’s a different athlete.”

Even if there’s no initial pick, Terefenko has enough skill and awareness to stay on the field and continue the two-man game. It allows Denver to exploit offensive players stuck on offense, find matchups and attack quickly.

The biggest x-factor for Kavanagh in transition is his ability to manufacture it through the ride. Nobody in the PLL, arguably nobody ever in professional lacrosse, has rode as hard or effectively as Kavanagh.

Through five weeks, he leads all short-sticks — not offensive players, ALL short-sticks — in caused turnovers with five. By creating that havoc, he generates extra possession and opportunities to attack short fields and unsettled defenses.

Kavanagh’s MVP potential is finally showing, and there’s still room for the second-year pro to grow. The Terefenko relationship is getting better each week, and Kavanagh finally shot the ball well against the California Redwoods.

Denver has its preferred style of play and it has its preferred quarterback. That marriage is leading the goals and leading the Outlaws to contender status at the halfway point of the season.