Cleveland CavaliersCleveland keep their key players and rebuild their rotation
Swept by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals in the spring, Kenny Atkinson's Cavaliers return with a Mitchell-Harden duo that has finally prepared together, a frontcourt still built around Mobley and Allen, and several new faces. A look at a team that wants to go further.
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The 2025-2026 season put Cleveland back among the teams that matter in the East. Under Kenny Atkinson, the Cavaliers finished the regular season with 52 wins and 30 defeats, 4th in the conference, scoring 119.5 points per game. In the playoffs, they had to go the distance in two series, seven games against Toronto and then Detroit, before being swept 4-0 by the Knicks in the conference finals.
That run says it all: Cleveland know how to survive tight series, but have not found an answer at the final hurdle in the East. The 2026-2027 season poses the question: how do they take one more step after that conference final, the last round before the NBA Finals?
Continuity on the bench
Regular season
per game
per game
What has changed in the squad
Cleveland have lost several rotation players. Max Strus has left for the Clippers, Dennis Schröder for Charlotte. Keon Ellis, Larry Nance Jr. and Dean Wade have also left the group. That is a lot of experience and minutes to redistribute.
Coming in, there are four main arrivals. Peyton Watson, who joined from Denver in a trade, is officially listed at guard, but it is on the wings that he should be most useful. Mario Hezonja, listed as a forward-guard, brings another profile on the perimeter. Senegal's Khalifa Diop joins the frontcourt for his NBA debut. Finally, Meleek Thomas, a draft pick, joins the guards.
- →Peyton WatsonPeyton Watson · from Denver
- →Mario HezonjaMario Hezonja · on the wings
- →Khalifa DiopKhalifa Diop · NBA debut
- →Meleek ThomasMeleek Thomas · draft
- ←Max Strus · Clippers
- ←Dennis Schröder · Charlotte
- ←Keon Ellis, Larry Nance Jr. and Dean Wade · left the squad
The squad's leading scorers
Points per game in the 2025–2026 regular season. Six selected players, not a full squad ranking.
Mitchell, the main offensive weapon
James Harden arrived midway through last season, so his integration was inevitably done on the fly. This autumn, he has a full preparation alongside Donovan Mitchell. That is the first real novelty of the project.
According to our projection, Harden is expected mainly to run the offence and create for his team-mates, while Mitchell remains the team's primary scoring option. Speaking to the Spanish daily AS during the pre-season camp in Málaga, Kenny Atkinson explained that the duo needed time to build their understanding, while also integrating the new pieces in the squad. The potential is there; the connection is still being built.
23 % of the team's points per game
20 % of the team's assists per game
Ratios of 2025–2026 per-game averages; Mitchell played 70 games, the team 82. Approximate benchmarks calculated by SNA, not official shares of totals.
The frontcourt, backbone of the project
Inside, the foundation does not change: Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen remain the two reference points. That stability matters, because the team's balance rests on them while the guard duo find their bearings.
For Khalifa Diop, the question is playing time. Behind Mobley and Allen, the competition is real: Thomas Bryant and Ernest Udeh Jr. are also in the group. Diop will have to earn his place in training and pre-season; nothing is guaranteed to him.
The rotation: a projection, not a certainty
The camp list does not guarantee a place in the rotation. At this stage, here is our reading, to be taken as a reasoned projection.
A plausible starting five would pair Harden at the controls with Mitchell as the main scorer, Watson on the wing, and Mobley and Allen inside. Off the bench, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Mario Hezonja, Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor and Thomas Bryant look best placed to share the minutes. Khalifa Diop, for his part, will have to carve out a place in that frontcourt pecking order. The first games will show whether this reading holds.
Creation
Shooting and on the wings
Inside
Reasoned SNA projection, not an official starting five or a guarantee of minutes. Merrill and Diop listed as doubtful as of 15 October.
Three-point shooting: five benchmarks
2025–2026 regular season. Red line: Cleveland, 36%. Harden with all teams, Watson with Denver. Selection of players attempting at least one three-pointer per game.
The squad: 21 players
Training camp list published by the NBA (21 players), with official positions. It may still change before the start of the season.
| Player | Status | Pts | Reb | Ast | 3PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guards · versatile positions grouped in | |||||
| James Harden | 23.6 | 4.8 | 8 | 37.5 % | |
| Donovan Mitchell | 27.9 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 36.4 % | |
| Craig Porter Jr. | – | – | – | – | |
| Tyrese Proctor | – | – | – | – | |
| Meleek Thomas | New signing | – | – | – | – |
| Jaylon Tyson | – | – | – | – | |
| Peyton Watson | New signing | 14.6 | 4.9 | 2.1 | 41.1 % |
| Sam Merrill | Doubtful | 12.8 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 42.1 % |
| Zack Austin | – | – | – | – | |
| Forwards · versatile positions grouped together | |||||
| Tristan Enaruna | – | – | – | – | |
| Mario Hezonja | Rookie | – | – | – | – |
| Riley Minix | – | – | – | – | |
| Nae'Qwan Tomlin | Doubtful | – | – | – | – |
| Centres and bigs · versatile positions grouped together | |||||
| Jarrett Allen | 15.4 | 8.5 | 1.8 | – | |
| Thomas Bryant | – | – | – | – | |
| Evan Mobley | 18.2 | 9 | 3.6 | 29.7 % | |
| Ernest Udeh Jr. | – | – | – | – | |
| Khalifa Diop | RookieDoubtful | – | – | – | – |
| Official position not listed | |||||
| Rashaun Agee | – | – | – | – | |
The official roster also includes Noam Yaacov (guard) and Jaxson Robinson (guard-forward), who have no SNA profile available: they make up the 19 players in the table. Curtis Jones and Kadary Richmond appear on the SNA profile but not on this dated official roster. 2025–2026 averages for the six documented players; Harden all teams, Watson with Denver. "–": unverified data or three-point volume too low. Merrill, Diop and Tomlin listed as doubtful as of 15 October. Preparation squad, not the final rotation.
Strengths and work in progress
Cleveland's first strength is continuity: the Mitchell-Mobley-Allen core knows each other well, and Harden this time starts with a full preparation. The second is the variety of profiles, with creators, wings, and both mobile and more traditional bigs.
The areas to work on are just as clear. Defensive coordination will need to be reworked with several new faces, and the rotation remains to be built after the departure of several experienced players. In Málaga at the end of September, Atkinson presented the next step as his group's objective. For SNA, aiming for the NBA Finals is consistent with this run; it remains an ambition, not an achievement.
Strengths
- A Mitchell–Mobley–Allen core kept together.
- A full pre-season for the Harden–Mitchell duo.
- Varied profiles on the wing and in the frontcourt.
Areas to work on
- Defensive coordination to be reworked.
- Responsibilities to be redistributed after several departures.
- A bench and combinations still to be ranked.
Targeting the NBA Finals fits with Cleveland's run; it remains an ambition, not a given.
The first marker will be the understanding between Harden and Mitchell, then building the rotation around the frontcourt.
Friday 23 October 2026 at 00:00, Brazzaville time · match centre
- The team’s live schedule appears here.
Countdown to tip-off.