The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2026-27 preseason is in the books, and while it didn’t deliver a winning record or settle all the team’s bigger questions, it did leave a few clear impressions. Chief among them: Mario Hezonja looks like he may have played his way into a longer look, while Tyrese Proctor didn’t do enough to separate himself in the battle for backup point guard minutes.
Hezonja, the reigning Spanish ACB MVP, started slowly in his first preseason game, which made sense given he hadn’t appeared in an NBA setting in more than six years. After that, though, he found his footing and settled in well over the final two games.
Across the preseason, he put up 10.0 Points, 5.3 Rebounds, 2.3 Assists, 1.3 Steals, and 0.7 Blocks per game, while shooting about 42.3% from the field and 50.0% from three. He also finished with a team-best +4.0 in plus/minus, including a +12.
Mario Hezonja tonight:12 Points6 Rebounds2 Assists 2 Steals4/10 FG2/4 3PT2/2 FT pic.twitter.com/mDXprpKdow
What stood out most was the range of ways he helped Cleveland. He gave the Cavaliers off-ball scoring, a little transition juice, rebounding, some creation with the ball, and even interior resistance with a few shot blocks around the rim.
The part that caught the eye most, though, was how comfortable he looked working from the post. Hezonja didn’t record a made field goal there and finished with only one true assist, but he repeatedly used his size to back defenders down and force help, which opened looks for teammates. That kind of option could be useful once the games count for real.
On the other side of the ledger, Proctor came away from preseason without building much momentum at all. The 49th pick in the 2025 Draft still has a blend of offensive and defensive tools that make him interesting, but he didn’t put together the kind of showing that would suggest a jump in his role is coming.
He finished with averages of 4.0 Points, 1.0 Rebound, and 1.0 Assist while shooting 35.7% overall. And while it may have been a bit much to expect him to look like a traditional point guard, the way the Cavaliers discussed handling that spot made it feel like he didn’t need to fit that exact mold.
What the preseason asked for was simple enough: show he could handle the ball when needed, help create for others, and still provide value as an off-ball shooter. Instead, he mostly blended into the background and didn’t gain much ground on the competition for that vacant role.
To be fair, he didn’t get a ton of on-ball chances, posting a usage rate of 15.3%. More often, he was working the perimeter, cutting baseline, setting screens, and spacing the floor.
When he did get the ball, there were flashes. He showed he could work out of pick-and-roll actions and attack off the dribble well enough to bend the defense and generate decent looks for teammates, even if those chances didn’t always turn into assists on the stat sheet.
The biggest letdown was his shooting from deep. He hit just 2 of 7 threes, a 28.6% clip, and all but one of those attempts came as catch-and-shoot looks. That’s a tough number for a player whose spot-up shooting is supposed to be one of his calling cards.
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