Cavaliers Have Glaring Problem Early in 2026-27 NBA Season

Entering the new NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers had high expectations for their roster following an active offseason.

While the season is still fairly early, the Cavaliers have struggled in different areas that could be of real concern. So far, Cleveland has a record of 4-2 on the year, with the team playing a little inconsistently each game out.

One of the real problems of this team has come from the defensive side of the court, which was an area that Cleveland prided itself on coming into the year. The Cavaliers have been outplayed at times on defense, and it's cost them games that they should have won.

Cleveland has blown two big leads already this season, adding some extra concern to this problem on the year. But in the Cavaliers' game the other night against the Atlanta Hawks, the issues were highlighted again.

After building a 15-point lead, the Cavaliers allowed the Hawks to get back in the game with a 43-point third quarter. Cleveland couldn't get any stops, and the Hawks ended up grabbing the win on the night.

Defensive rebounding has been a problem this year, and it reared its head again against Atlanta the other day, too. The Hawks got 15 offensive rebounds, which is a real problem, especially for a team like Cleveland that has multiple All-Star bigs on the roster.

Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have to be better at setting the tone in games for this team, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Mobley was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, so there is an expectation for him to be better.

While this is just one game for the Cavaliers against the Hawks, this has been a problem for the team. In the season opener, Cleveland built a massive lead over the Philadelphia 76ers, only to lose the game.

So, if this continues to happen, it will start to become a trend for this team. And habits are built throughout the season, and once they set in, it can be very difficult to break out of.

There is still plenty of time for the Cavaliers to figure things out on the floor, but it has to start on the defensive side of the court for this team. This group has the talent to get it done, but it's now a matter of executing night in and night out for the rest of the season.

Cleveland has a solid roster that can compete against almost any team in the NBA, but this group needs to be much more disciplined going forward. And if they can't, the same old adage will likely result in another early playoff exit for the team.