The Cavaliers are about to get a much-needed look at Mario Hezonja in something that actually counts.
Cleveland could use a player who can handle the ball, create a little offense and give the second unit some shooting. The catch is obvious: the Cavs still don’t really know if Hezonja can do that at an NBA level, because he hasn’t played in the league in six years. This week gives them a chance to watch him in a competitive setting before training camp opens in about a month.
Hezonja will be on the floor for Croatia in FIBA World Cup Qualifying starting Thursday, and that matters for the Cavs because it offers a real glimpse at the version of him they’re hoping might translate.
International play has a way of tempting teams into believing a player can slide right back into the NBA. Sometimes that works.
Sometimes it doesn’t. But Hezonja has clearly become a major force for Croatia, and his numbers this year back that up.
Croatia is 5-1 through six qualifying games for the 2027 World Cup, and Hezonja has averaged 19.3 points and 5.3 assists. Only three players have scored more in that stretch, and only four have averaged more assists. He’s been at the center of everything Croatia has done, knocking down 3-pointers and finding teammates with sharp passes.
His latest showing was even louder. In a friendly against Turkiye, one of Europe’s powers, Hezonja scored 37 points and buried the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds to pull off the upset. Croatia has been the top-scoring European team in qualifying, and Hezonja has been driving that production with Ivica Zubac anchoring the middle and former NBA forward Dario Saric at power forward.
The next test comes Thursday, when the fourth qualifying window begins and runs through Monday, August 31st. Croatia opens at 2:00 pm ET against Latvia, a team that will be without NBA names like Kristaps Porzingis and Davis Bertans. That should give Hezonja another stage to show off the scoring and playmaking that have made him so effective for his national team.
Croatia plays again on Sunday, August 30th at 8:30 am ET against the Netherlands, which has Cavaliers two-way big Tristan Enaruna. If Croatia wins both games, it will be in excellent shape to secure a World Cup spot next year.
For Cleveland, the hope is simple: if Hezonja looks like this again, the confidence in what he can bring to the NBA goes up. And with that, so do the Cavaliers’ chances of getting real help from him next season.
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