One Stud, One Dud from Cavs’ preseason finale loss to Magic

One Dud from Cavs’ preseason finale: Rebounding

Before I get into the dud for the nigh, it has to be noted that the Cavs struggled at times rebounding. When Jarrett Allen went down at the end of last season, the Cavs were out-rebounded in the majority of their games. However, even without Allen, the Cavs should not be out-rebounded by 16.

If you take a look at Evan Mobley’s all-around game, his skill-set is incredible., With that being said, if you had to criticize one thing about him, it’s his rebounding. Last season while he was a rookie he had trouble being physical with opponents when fighting for a rebound. He looks to have buffed up a bit this season, and we should see improvement in that area.

Without Kevin Love, Jarrett Allen, and a couple of other role players, it wasn’t easy to crash the glass last night. However, with an Eastern Conference that is stacked with talent, the Cavs can’t afford to have many weaknesses. Right now rebounding is a weakness, and that needs to be addressed before we get into the thick of the season.

Overall it was a rather disappointing preseason tour for the Cavaliers. We did get our first glimpses of how well Donovan Mitchell meshed with this current group, we also saw a much stronger Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers finish the preseason with a 1-3 record, with their only win against the Hawks a couple of days ago.

I try not to read too much into the results of the preseason. Instead, I like to look at the positives from what was essentially a couple of scrimmages. This season the Cavs won’t sneak up on teams like they did last year. Every night they are going to get the opposing team’s best effort. Hopefully, this young core is ready for that challenge.