The Cavaliers’ path from good to great may run straight through the second unit.
That has been true for this franchise before, and it looks even more true now. Cleveland has long gotten mileage out of fringe additions and the right in-season moves, and the current roster puts even more weight on what the bench can provide.
The starting group does not need extra pressure piled on it. The reserves are supposed to help ease that load.
Under Kenny Atkinson, the second unit has already mattered plenty in recent seasons. In 2024-25, Ty Jerome was the headline name.
In 2025-26, Jaylon Tyson and Sam Merrill both made real impacts, with post-deadline pickup Dennis Schröder also chipping in. Two games into this season, though, the production has been uneven.
Tyson answered in Game 2 with 15 points in 21 minutes after a rough opener. Merrill, meanwhile, has not found much rhythm through the first two games, struggling to get clean looks and missing the ones that have come his way. Mario Hezonja has been the early spark plug off the bench, and his scoring ability from both inside and outside has given Cleveland a useful weapon.
There is real upside there. On some nights, Hezonja can get all the way to 20 points and turn into a legitimate problem for the other team. That kind of scoring from the reserves matters because it can bring balance to a starting five that has been a little inconsistent out of the gate.
The ideal bench group does more than survive minutes. It swings games.
It rescues nights that seem lost and flips them. Atkinson has not typically leaned into full reserve units the way Gregg Popovich famously did with the Spurs, but Cleveland’s bench still has to be ready to change the tone of a game when called upon.
That kind of impact is not theoretical for this roster. Sam Merrill did it in the postseason with timely defense and threes.
Ty Jerome did it often enough two years ago to help Cleveland win a lot of games. The best teams get that kind of lift from their second unit, and this group has the pieces to do it again.
Jaylon Tyson and Mario Hezonja should each have those nights. At some point, once they “deem him to be ready”, Meleek Thomas will be part of that mix too.
The talent is there. The challenge is getting the group managed correctly so it can actually show up.
That becomes even more important when injuries start forcing the issue. In today’s NBA, hardly anybody gets through all 82 games.
Not everyone is Mikal Bridges. Eventually, the reserves are the ones asked to step into the starting lineup, and those are the games that tell you what a team really has.
Cleveland’s depth chart is tight at the moment. The team has 14 standard-contract players, with two sidelined already: Khalifa Diop is out with a knee issue, and Nae’Qwan Tomlin is out with a back injury. That leaves only two players out of the 12 sitting right now, Meleek Thomas and Thomas Bryant, and both could be pushed into the rotation whenever someone needs a night off or picks up even a minor issue.
That is where the season can be shaped. The Cavs would love to have Donovan Mitchell available every night, and the same goes for Evan Mobley.
If Peyton Watson and James Harden can add more offensively, that would help too. But none of that is guaranteed.
The bench has to absorb the nights when the stars are not enough on their own.
If Cleveland wants to be great, the players coming off the bench have to be part of the answer.
In Other News...
Mario Hezonja Already Gives The Cavs A Bench Weapon They Needed
Mario Hezonjas first game back in the NBA came with the kind of confidence the Cavaliers have been looking for on the bench. After six years away, he stepped in for Cleveland and immediately looked comfortable attacking mismatches, giving the offense a different look and providing support around the teams top scorers. Hezonja described his job simply enough: help teammates like Donovan Mitchell and James Harden by making life a little easier for them.
For a Cavs team trying to balance immediate results with bigger-picture health, that kind of presence can matter. Head coach Kenny Atkinson singled out Hezonjas performance as a positive even in a loss, which says plenty about the early impression he made. Cleveland does not need him to be a headline act, only a usable bench option who can change a stretch of a game, and his debut suggested there may be more there than a one-night cameo. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Win Couldnt Hide A Late Problem Fans Already Fear
The Cavaliers opened their home schedule with a 125-121 win over the Brooklyn Nets, and for most of the night it looked like a comfortable one. Cleveland built a sizeable halftime cushion behind strong work from Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, then spent much of the second half trying to keep Brooklyn from turning the game into something messier than it should have been.
Instead, the fourth quarter brought the sort of nervy finish that can linger for a team with bigger ambitions. The Nets kept letting fly from deep and made a real run at erasing the gap, forcing Cleveland to answer possession by possession before the Cavs finally steadied themselves at the line in the closing moments. The win counts, but the late wobble is the kind of early-season warning sign fans notice right away. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs May Have Found An Off-Bench Option Sooner Than Expected
Mario Hezonjas second game of the season gave the Cavaliers a small but encouraging glimpse of a possible off-bench spark. Against the Brooklyn Nets, he filled a limited role with points, rebounds and a steal, and he looked comfortable enough to fit into the flow without forcing things. The shot-making was part of the appeal, too, as he buried a corner 3-pointer and showed enough creativity to make a few possessions feel a little livelier than they might have otherwise.
For a Cleveland team heading into matchups with Minnesota, Washington, Atlanta and Milwaukee, those kinds of minutes matter, especially when the rotation is still taking shape. Hezonja did not need a featured role to make an impression, and the Cavaliers will now have a quick chance to see whether that early feel carries over as the schedule stiffens. [Read more 🡒]