There are plenty of reasons that can explain the Cleveland Cavaliers’ slow start to the 2026-27 NBA season. They have added a new player to the starting lineup and other reserves who need time to adjust, one of their best players may not be in his best shape, and they have not seemed to put forth maximum effort all of the time.
But there may be one more basic component that has led to their 6-7 record. It came up again in a 133-121 loss to the Miami Heat in an NBA Cup game on Friday.
Afterward, Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson pinpointed the problem that keeps hurting the Cavs, saying the team needs to rebound better if it expects to win games.
“The rebounding piece hurt us again. Until we figure out the rebounding, and we did last game against the Knicks, but to have a consistent mindset to rebound the ball better. It’s not on JA (Jarrett Allen), it’s not on Thomas Bryant, it’s on five guys and collectively we gotta do a better job,” Atkinson said.
The Cavaliers were outrebounded 46-36 overall on Friday, with the Heat accumulating 13 offensive boards. Bam Adebayo had 14 rebounds for Miami, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had nine, and they each scored 37 points.
Jarrett Allen led the Cavs with eight rebounds, and James Harden, whose conditioning has been blamed for his early-season struggles, had six. Cleveland played without Even Mobley, who sprained his toe against the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
In that 115-107 victory, the Cavs outrebounded the defending NBA champions 40-35 and limited New York to seven offensive boards. So, Atkinson’s observation is accurate and telling.
Cleveland has been outrebounded in eight of its 13 games this season and has lost the past six in a row when that has happened. The only two times the Cavs were outrebounded and won were during their 3-1 start to the season. They are 4-1 when outrebounding their opponent.
While one particular statistic does not determine winning or losing, it would seem that this could be a simple fix for the Cavaliers moving forward. Allen leads the team at 8.3 rebounds per game, followed by Mobley at 7.3 and reserve Mario Hezonja, who contributes 5.3 in just 18 minutes played per game.
The Cavs will get to put this to the test again right away with a home game against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
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