Where the Cavaliers Need to See the Biggest Improvements Heading into Regular Season

Just like every season, there is always things that the Cavs need ti improve on coming out of the preseason

Oct 11, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Orlando Magic guard Alex Morales (30) during the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the preseason ending on Wednesday for the Cavaliers it is now time to look forward towards the regular season.

And just like every other year, there are a lot of things that the Cavs need to work on. Let's take a look at what those things are.

Then one glaring issue that has stuck out during the preseason is the rebounding. The Cavs are getting out rebounded 101 to 88 through the first two preseason games that they have had with the biggest differential being against the Celtics.

Obviously this relies heavily on Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen down low and they have done a good job, but they also need help from the wings. Peyton Watson, who will more than likely be the starting small forward, averaged right around five rebounds last season for the Denver Nuggets.

Nov 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and forward Evan Mobley (4) celebrate during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

If the wings can help out the two bigs then the rebounding will take a huge jump forward in the regular season.

Another big improvement that the Cavs need is playing more together on the offensive end and having less isolation ball.

At times it feels like the offensive is stagnent and a lot of the shot clock is wasted with the ball in only one persons hands. This will be something key to watch out for in their final preseason game.

As good as James Harden and Donovan Mitchell are, at times it feels like every possession is either one of them only handling the ball and it leads to a bad shot.

Apr 29, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talks to guard James Harden (1) against the Toronto Raptors in the first quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cavs thrive when everyone touches the ball on a single possession and it's what helped lead them to the one seed a few seasons ago. If Kenny Atkinson can get them back to a lot of ball movement, that keeps them really competitive in a loaded Eastern Conference.

The final thing that feels like this huge cloud, that has been hanging over the Cavs heads for the past few seasons, is the physicality they play with throughout the game.

This starts from Atkinson as a head coach trying to preach a more physical style of basketball. Then it comes down to leaders like Mitchell and Harden, who need to preach this as well to the rest of the team.

May 25, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts in the first half against the New York Knicks during game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This final preseason game will tell a lot about where the Cavs stand even if we don't see the starters. The Cavs have one of the more cohesive teams coming into the season this year from last year, now they have to capitalize on it in the regular season.