The Cavaliers gave Mario Hezonja until Nov. 15 to show them why they should guarantee his one-year, $2.8 million contract. Five games in, Chris Fedor of cleveland.com figures they’ve seen enough.
Hezonja has played at least 15 minutes in every game, and Thursday in Atlanta offered a pretty good example of why Kenny Atkinson keeps calling his number.
“We needed him,” Atkinson said, via Fedor. “We were searching a little bit, trying to find someone on the wing that was going to step up and he stepped up.”
Hezonja had 10 points, six rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes of the 114-111 loss. He made two of his three attempts from deep. At 6-foot-9 and 255 pounds, he can also take a smaller defender down low, something Fedor notes gives the Cavs a different look on the wing.
Hezonja was the Spanish league MVP with Real Madrid. Here, some nights he may get six shots, as he did Thursday. He’s also had to relearn some of the language coaches use in practice after years away from the NBA. He credited his teammates and coaches for helping him pick it up.
As for the contract, Nov. 15 is still the date. It’s Fedor’s view that the decision itself ought to be easy.
Two shots and a timeout
Donovan Mitchell got two chances to tie it in Atlanta. Zach Weiss of Cavs on SI wondered about a third option.
Atkinson still had a timeout with 15 seconds left. Even after Mitchell missed the first three, the Cavs got the ball back and could have drawn something up. Instead, Mitchell dribbled to the corner and tried again.
Mitchell finished with 22 points but went 1-of-9 on threes. James Harden scored 24, and both guards made baskets to help Cleveland get back in it.
What bothered Weiss was how seldom the two found their big men. Harden and Mitchell combined for six assists. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen combined for 17 shots, one night after Mobley scored 24 against Washington.
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No doubting Thomas
Meleek Thomas was listed as out with a sore foot Thursday, so playing the rookie in Atlanta wasn’t an option for Kenny Atkinson.
In a separate piece for Cavs on SI, Zach Weiss wrote that the Cavs could’ve used the energy Thomas brought in his first two appearances. And man, ain’t that the truth?
Thomas scored 26 points in 39 minutes across those two games, though Allen noticed something that didn’t show up in the box score. He said watching the rookie play made him work harder, too.
Tyrese Proctor and Craig Porter Jr. both saw time in Atlanta. Sam Merrill scored 16 off the bench, but Jaylon Tyson finished with one basket. On a night when the Cavs spent much of the second half trying to catch the Hawks, Weiss opined that they missed having one more guard who could give them a lift at either end.
For the record, Atkinson has said he expects to give Thomas more minutes (when he returns). The Cavs visit Milwaukee on Saturday, then host the Thunder on Monday.
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