The Cavaliers’ season opener left plenty to sort through, but the bench minutes offered a clearer look at who helped, who stalled, and who still needs more runway. Cleveland went 10 deep, and rookie Meleek Thomas was not part of the group that got on the floor.
Sam Merrill was one of the first reserves to enter, checking in with Jaylon Tyson in the initial wave of substitutions, which was the expected move. Merrill made an early impact on both ends, knocking down a quick 3 and finishing a layup after a Mario Hezonja feed.
After that, the touches dried up. He took just five shots in 24 minutes, with only one attempt coming after halftime, a quiet usage count for a player whose value starts with his shooting.
Merrill finished with five points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal, and he was plus-5.
Tyson’s scoring line was just as thin. He went 1-for-6 in 24 minutes and missed all four of his 3-point tries, with the long ball that boosted him a season ago nowhere to be found.
Even so, he brought real energy on the other end. Tyson collected six rebounds, including two on the offensive glass, and added a steal and two blocks.
The shot wasn’t there, but the effort and activity were.
Mario Hezonja looked the most settled of the bunch. In 19 minutes, he scored 10 points on 5-for-13 shooting and added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
He found points in the post and around the rim, and even with the 0-for-5 night from deep, his shot selection never looked rushed. Hezonja also showed plenty of belief when he waved off Donovan Mitchell and finished an isolation bucket to close a quarter.
Despite Philadelphia’s defense tightening up in the second half, he kept attacking with confidence.
Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor had far quieter nights. Porter came away with three rebounds in seven minutes and showed the athleticism that has always stood out, but he did not attempt a shot, and one planned look was wiped out when he stepped on the end line. Proctor had even less to show for his five minutes, with a missed floater his only shot of the game.
If that was the level of production Cleveland is going to get from those reserve minutes, it raises the obvious question of whether Meleek Thomas should have been in the mix. The Cavs are back at it tomorrow against the Nets, and the next bench rotation will be worth watching.
Might Meleek Thomas or Thomas Bryant get some run? Let’s see.
In Other News...
Cavs Opening Night Collapse Raises An Ugly Early Question
The Cavaliers looked ready to put a bow on Opening Night with a runaway first half against Philadelphia, leaning on a strong start that had them up by 29 points before the game completely flipped. Instead, the Sixers took over after the break and turned what had felt like a comfortable season opener into an immediate reminder that early leads do not mean much if a team cannot sustain its edge.
For Cleveland, the most promising part of the night may have been the play of Mario Hezonja, whose return to the NBA gave the lineup a jolt on both ends even as the finish went sideways. The bigger concern is harder to ignore: when Philadelphia tightened the screws, the Cavaliers frontcourt stopped producing enough to keep control, leaving an ugly early question hanging over a roster that expected a far smoother start. [Read more 🡒]
Evan Mobley Reignited A Cavs Concern Fans Know Too Well
The Cavaliers season opener followed a familiar pattern for a team trying to take the next step, with a solid first-half performance giving way to a loss after the lead slipped away in the second half. Evan Mobley was central to the early surge, giving Cleveland a much-needed lift on offense while still serving as the defensive anchor the club leans on so heavily.
Mobleys value on that end has never been in doubt, but the bigger question remains how often he can keep his offense engaged when the game tightens. For a Cavs team that needs more from him than rim protection and the occasional burst, the opener only sharpened the focus on whether he can bring the same presence across all four quarters. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Need To Stop Putting The Wrong Burden On Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell has never needed much help proving he can score, and that is still the clearest way for the Cavaliers to get the most out of him. The issue is not whether he can make plays for others, but whether Cleveland is asking him to spend too much time doing it when his best value comes from attacking as a scorer and forcing defenses to react to him.
The guard rotation should be built around preserving that focus, with the ball-handling load leaning more heavily on others so Mitchell can stay in his preferred lane. His assist totals can look useful on the surface, but they are often more a byproduct of how the game unfolds than evidence that the Cavaliers are best served by making him the organizer every night. [Read more 🡒]