Overview
- Cleveland signed Hezonja to a one-year deal after he left Real Madrid, rejoining the NBA following six seasons in Europe where his exit was cleared before the move.
- His first Cavs preseason game included five points on 2-of-7 shooting with five rebounds and three assists in a loss to Boston, and he averaged about 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists across two tune-up games.
- Hezonja says the biggest on-court hurdle is the length of NBA defenders and that he must finish higher at the rim after re-engineering his body to a heavier, more physical frame that he describes as roughly 260 pounds versus the Cavs’ 242 listing.
- Coach Kenny Atkinson called the debut nothing to be alarmed by and said Hezonja is still getting his feet wet as the team narrows its rotation, with a realistic path to minutes because Cleveland lost wing size in recent departures.
- Hezonja arrives with a strong European résumé, including a EuroLeague title and ACB MVP, and the Cavs expect him to contribute spacing, screening and defensive versatility rather than primary scoring if he adapts to NBA length.