2 Instant Ways Mario Hezonja Will Impact Cavaliers During First Season in Cleveland

After a brief period of uncertainty, Mario Hezonja’s deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers has been made official, but what can you expect from the Croatian?

After six years away from the NBA, can Hezonja’s game lift the Cavs, and how will he adjust to the league's demanding, faster, more physical style compared to the EuroLeague?

Might as well start with the most obvious positive

Hezonja will be filling a spot that Cavs fans have not seen in some time, and that is a strong, reliable wing player who can shoot the ball, run the floor and whose defense has vastly improved since he was last in the NBA in 2020.

What Hezonja brings to the Cavs is size, scoring versatility, and a more polished all-around game than in his last stint in the league, where he spent five years.

Standing at 6’9”, he stretches the floor, loves running in transition, and offers that two-way wing player that Cleveland so desperately needs.

And if the 31-year-old is to feature heavily in Cleveland’s rotation, as reported, then he will relish the opportunity.

Hezonja left the NBA and got better

After being selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Hezonja will have the opportunity to revive his NBA career as he returns for his sixth season after last playing in the 2019-20 season for the Portland Trail Blazers.

He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies before being waived. It was there that Hezonja decided to return to play in the EuroLeague.

After leaving Portland and being waived by the Memphis Grizzlies, Hezonja moved to Panathinaikos Athens. His stay in the Greek capital was brief, as he signed on for UNICS Kazan in Russia.

However, his EuroLeague dream in Russia was cut short due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and he moved to Real Madrid in 2022, where he has remained ever since.

Last season, the Croatian averaged 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for Real Madrid in the EuroLeague and 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per contest in the Spanish ACB, leading him to the MVP crown.

He is also a regular for the Croatian national team, where he is currently averaging 19.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 qualifiers. Hezonja will next suit up for Croatia in their next qualifying window on August 27.

Perhaps the obvious thing is that Hezonja has logged many more years of elite-level basketball and was one of the key components of the Real Madrid side, which is considered one of the giants of the EuroLeague, widely regarded as the top league in the world outside the NBA.

Hezonja now plays with more balance and more maturity than he did when he was last in the NBA, which has led him to winning a EuroLeague title with Madrid in 2023, as well as two domestic ACB championships. He was also the MVP of the Spanish league last season.

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