Oct 5, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) warms up before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

With several days off between any sort of preseason action, the Cleveland Cavaliers took to the floor to both try and keep sharp while putting on an entertaining show for some of its most loyal fans eager for some basketball action.

Coming just short of claiming a victory in the preseason opener on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers–their first official game with multiple-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, the team took the opportunity to feed off the electricity in downtown Cleveland with an engaging daytime event at the Wolstein Center.

Nearly all of the rostered Cavs players took part in the hour-long event, save for rising star Evan Mobley (out for 1-2 weeks with an ankle sprain) and veteran forward Kevin Love, who sat this one out but remained involved by interacting with the fans and his teammates throughout.

After a couple of minutes of dynamic stretching, some halfcourt sets, and a half-hearted yet fun pickup-style basketball, Darius Garland took to the mic to entertain the fans while some of the more athletic Cavs players proceeded to put on a mini dunk-off until the event closed to rousing applause from the Cavaliers faithful in attendance.

Once considered promising upstarts in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs went on a scorching run early last season before freefalling late after losing Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley for extended stretches in March, eventually surrendering a guaranteed playoff berth and bowing out of the play-in tournament.

By adding the young three-time All-Star Mitchell, the Cavs not only raise their ceiling for contention but also maintained their youth, assuring that the timeline will not be disrupted. There won’t be a lot of pressure to contend immediately, but still places the team as a shoo-in for an immediate postseason appearance.

Alongside Mitchell, Cleveland’s front office continued to beef up the team depth in the offseason by adding one of last season’s shining beacons in floor general Ricky Rubio, veteran big man Robin Lopez, and another dependable point guard in Raul Neto.

Rubio continues to recover from a second ACL surgery on his left knee, but has been ramping up individual workouts and appears to be on track to rejoin the team by the end of the year or early in 2023.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to even the score and notch their first win in the preseason as they host the Philadelphia 76ers at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 10th.

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