Cavs: When does training camp, preseason start for 2021-22?

The Cleveland Cavaliers enter this season with hope in the air. While last season was a difficult year of injuries and losses, this season dawns bright. They have a six-person young core, all healthy, all ready to take a step forward.

Collin Sexton is due for a new contract and will be out to show the Cavs he is a max player. Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro are poised to make a leap, while Lauri Markkanen and Ricky Rubio are ready for a rebound. Evan Mobley could be the best rookie in this class. There is plenty to see here.

The season itself is coming up quickly, especially given that the last season was running a month behind schedule. As the Cavs missed the postseason they have had a nearly-full offseason to improve and prepare. Now that preparation will be put to the test.

Before the season itself kicks off, there are a number of steps to help this team, like any team, to prepare. That starts with training camp, where this team with a few new pieces can integrate and begin to build that chemistry with one another.

Cleveland Cavaliers training camp starts Monday, Sept. 27

Media Day for the Cleveland Cavaliers will be on Monday, kicking off training camp for the team. Players will be taking photos and speaking with the media, and it’s an opportunity for every player on the team to gain a comfort level talking in front of a camera.

Then training camp will begin shortly thereafter, with it formally beginning on Sept. 28. The team has a number of legs up on the competition who are trying to install new offensive systems. With head coach J.B. Bickerstaff sticking around there is a general level of continuity in Cleveland, and the team can instead leap to action assimilating the new players and honing skills they have worked on all summer.

From training camp, the team begins its preseason slate, about two full weeks before they kick off the regular season. The team plays five games in total, four of them against Central Division foes in a pair of home-and-aways.

Cleveland Cavaliers full preseason schedule

• Tuesday, October 5th @ Chicago Bulls, 7:00pm CT
• Wednesday, October 6th @ Atlanta Hawks, 7:30pm CT
• Friday, October 8th vs Indiana Pacers, 6:00pm CT
• Sunday, October 10th vs Chicago Bulls, 6:00pm CT
• Friday, October 15th @ Indiana Pacers, 6:00pm CT

These games will be a good measuring stick for the young squad, given that each is expected to compete for a playoff spot. The new-look Bulls will be the first opponent, a chance for both sides and for fans to see the Bulls in order. The Atlanta Hawks made the Conference Finals a season ago and will be a difficult test for the Cavs.

Sandwiched around the rematch with the Bulls are two games against the Indiana Pacers. Indiana is a surprisingly deep team that will give the Cavs an excellent test at every position. They wrap up the five-game slate on October 15th, five days before the start of the season.

Cleveland then opens the regular season in Memphis to take on Ja Morant and the Grizzlies. The next game it’s back to Cleveland to host the Charlotte Hornets, with the Atlanta Hawks the following night. All three have dynamic guards that should drive each other to be at their best when they play.

Which game are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments. Even if the wait this offseason was shorter, it still feels like forever since the last time the Cavs played basketball. That will all change very soon.