The Cavaliers didn’t need a perfect night from the starting five to get their second win of the season Monday. The bench helped carry the load, and that’s been a theme worth watching for Cleveland early on.
Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the reserves gave the Cavs exactly the kind of lift a winning team needs over the course of a season. The group already looks deeper than just a handful of usable bodies, and several players have begun carving out real roles.
Mario Hezonja has been one of the more notable additions so far. In his season debut, the EuroLeague champion posted 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. It was his first NBA game since his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, and he looked settled in quickly.
Hezonja then scored nine points against the Brooklyn Nets before putting up three points and three rebounds in the win over Minnesota. His minutes dipped in that one, but that fits with what Kenny Atkinson is doing right now: testing options and sorting out what works best for the group. A strong role appears to be coming for Hezonja as the season moves forward.
Jaylon Tyson is another reserve who looks ready to matter. He broke out last season with 13.2 points per game and started 42 games, but his job this year changes with Peyton Watson in the starting wing spot.
Even so, Tyson still has plenty of room to make an impact, and he has already shown he can supply the same energy that made him valuable a year ago. Cleveland can use that kind of spark off the bench.
Then there’s Meleek Thomas, who delivered the kind of performance that can force a coach’s hand. The rookie had already made noise in Summer League, and on Monday he came through with 16 points and strong play at both ends. He was confident, and the showing backed up the praise Donovan Mitchell gave him before the season.
Thomas had not appeared in Cleveland’s first two games, but he made a case for more time with the way he played in the overtime win. He also went 4 of 5 from three-point range. While veterans like Sam Merrill and Craig Porter Jr. are expected to take some of those minutes as the season goes on, Thomas made it clear he’s ready when called upon.
For Cleveland, that’s the point. The bench is not just a support system; it’s part of the engine. Hezonja, Tyson and Thomas have already shown why that matters.
In Other News...
Peyton Watson Is Giving The Cavs Something They May Really Need
Amid the early-season chaos around the league, Peyton Watson has given Cleveland a different kind of lift in a recent overtime win, the sort that tends to matter more when games tighten and possessions get ugly. The Cavaliers have plenty of scorers they can lean on, but Watsons value showed up in the areas that dont always make the highlight reel, with his activity helping swing momentum on both ends while the team keeps sorting out its rotation.
The offense still has a bit of a project attached to it, though, and that is the piece Cleveland will keep watching as the sample grows. Watsons size and defensive energy are already giving the Cavaliers something they can build on, but the next question is whether his shot becomes reliable enough to make him more than a situational weapon as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Win Still Exposed A Frustrating Problem Mobley And Allen Haven't Fixed
The Cavaliers got the overtime win they needed against Minnesota, but the box score still pointed to a nagging problem that has followed them at times this season. Even with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen anchoring the front line, Cleveland was hurt on the defensive glass, and the Wolves extra chances kept possessions alive in a way that made the game far harder than it should have been.
For a team built to defend at a high level, the issue goes beyond two big men doing their job. Rebounding on the defensive end has to be a full-team task, with guards and wings helping close possessions before they turn into second opportunities, and this one offered another reminder that the Cavaliers still have work to do there if they want to make wins look cleaner. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Win Just Sparked An Officiating Debate Fans Will Be Talking About
The Cavaliers overtime win over the Timberwolves is already the kind of result that gets replayed, but the NBAs Last Two Minute Report added another layer to the discussion. The league identified two officiating mistakes that worked in Clevelands favor, while also backing several other calls from the final stretch, including the non-flagrant ruling on Donovan Mitchell and a foul on Jaden McDaniels.
What stood out most was how thin the margins were late, when every whistle can reshape a games finish. The report said a key call should have gone the other way on the final possession of regulation, and it also marked an overtime foul involving Mitchell and LaMelo Ball as incorrect because the contact was deemed incidental, leaving plenty for fans to debate even after the result is in the books. [Read more 🡒]