CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers will finally get their first look at the 2026-27 roster Thursday night when Boston visits Rocket Arena for Cleveland’s preseason opener.

Nobody should care much about whether the Cavaliers actually win the game. What matters is how Kenny Atkinson begins putting together a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season, then underwent significant changes around its core during the summer.

Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are established. Everything around them is a little less certain, which makes the preseason less about the final score and more about how the pieces around Cleveland’s stars begin to fit.

1. What Does a Full Offseason Do for Mitchell and Harden?

James Harden joined Cleveland during last season and had to learn a new offense, new teammates, and Atkinson’s system while the Cavaliers were already trying to position themselves for a playoff run. This time, there is no crash course.

Harden and Mitchell are going through their first full training camp together, and preseason gives Cleveland its first opportunity to see what that extra time has done for the backcourt. The Cavaliers do not need either player logging heavy minutes Thursday, but the spacing, ball movement, and comfort level between them should be worth watching.

The pairing worked well enough to help Cleveland reach the conference finals last season. The question now is whether a full offseason together can make it even better.

2. Where Does Peyton Watson Fit?

Peyton Watson may eventually become Cleveland’s fifth starter, but Atkinson has not handed him the job yet.

Watson gives the Cavaliers something they needed badly last season: a long, athletic wing who can defend multiple positions without requiring the offense to run through him. He averaged 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds last season while shooting 41.1 percent from 3-point range, and his production increased when Denver put him in the starting lineup.

Cleveland does not need Watson to score 20 points every night. It needs him to defend wings, run the floor, make open shots, and fit around four established starters. Thursday will provide the first real look at what that fit might become.

3. Who Begins Separating Himself on the Bench?

Cleveland’s bench remains one of the biggest questions entering preseason after a significant amount of turnover during the offseason.

Max Strus, Dennis Schröder, Dean Wade, Keon Ellis, Larry Nance Jr., and Georges Niang are gone. That creates available minutes, but it also removes several players Atkinson trusted in meaningful situations last season.

Sam Merrill enters preseason as one of the more established reserves, while Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor, Jaylon Tyson, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Mario Hezonja, and others are fighting to establish themselves in the rotation.

Atkinson does not need to settle the entire bench Thursday night, but the preseason should begin showing which players he trusts together and which combinations actually work.

4. How Quickly Does Meleek Thomas Look Comfortable?

Meleek Thomas is only 20 years old, so expectations should be reasonable, but he is also one of the most interesting players on the roster.

The rookie guard arrives with obvious scoring ability, and Thursday gives him an opportunity to show how quickly that translates against NBA competition in a more structured environment. The bigger questions will be how he handles defensive assignments, whether he makes quick decisions with the ball, and how comfortable he looks playing within Atkinson’s offense.

Cleveland does not need Thomas to become an immediate rotation fixture. If he looks ready sooner than expected, however, the Cavaliers suddenly have another intriguing option in an already crowded backcourt.

5. How Does Atkinson Handle the Frontcourt Behind Mobley and Allen?

Mobley and Allen are not going anywhere, but the minutes behind them are less settled.

Thomas Bryant returns as the most experienced reserve big, while Khalifa Diop gives Cleveland another option. Nae’Qwan Tomlin can also provide size and athleticism in different lineup combinations, giving Atkinson several ways to experiment during the preseason.

The Cavaliers may use smaller groups, play Mobley at center, or give different combinations extended minutes together. None of those decisions will be permanent after one exhibition game, but Thursday should begin showing how Atkinson wants to structure the frontcourt when one or both starters leave the floor.

That is ultimately what preseason is for. Cleveland already knows what Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, and Allen can do. The next two weeks are about figuring out everything around them.

The score against Boston will be forgotten quickly. The answers Atkinson begins finding Thursday could matter for a lot longer.