The Cleveland Cavaliers got a gutsy player in their $2.7 million forward who waved off Donovan Mitchell and James Harden late in their game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
During the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2026-2027 regular-season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, newly returned forward Mario Hezonja provided one of the most memorable highlights of the night by waving off star teammate Donovan Mitchell to call his own isolation play.
The 6’8″ forward methodically backed down his defender, Anfernee Simons, to sink a smooth interior bucket. Despite the Cavaliers ultimately suffering a 114-106 defeat, Hezonja’s bold gesture and bucket served as a major bright spot for the team’s bench.
“I told him you’re not supposed to bring the ball up under pressure. I waived JT out to go 1-on-1 against my mismatch. I spoke to James and Donovan, there’s 5 of us on the court and you need to read those mismatch situations,” the 6-foot-9 forward said after the game.
Mario Hezonja Marks His NBA Return In Cavaliers’ Season Opener
Logged as his first official league appearance since 2020, the former EuroLeague MVP Hezonja made an immediate impact off the bench, logging 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block across 19 minutes of action.
Hezonja operated entirely at backup power forward, a position shift enabled by his physically transformed 260-pound frame.
Hezonja struggled from beyond the arc as he shot 0-of-5 from 3-point range and 5-of-13 overall, but his relentless downhill drives and defensive activity, which included locked-in isolation stops against stars like LeBron James, earned him a team-high plus-minus of +1 on a night where the rest of the Cavaliers’ rotation collapsed.
The Cavaliers signed Croatian Hezonja to a one-year, $2.8 million contract. The non-guaranteed deal will become fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster past November 15.
The 31-year-old former 2015 fifth-overall draft pick exercised an NBA exit clause to leave Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, where he reinvented his game. During his four-year stint overseas, Hezonja won the 2023 EuroLeague championship and was named the 2025–26 Liga ACB Most Valuable Player.
Mario Hezonja Makes Things Clear On Offense With Donovan Mitchell
Before the start of the season, Mario Hezonja made it known that he is not taking away Donovan Mitchell’s isolation plays.
“Absolutely. This is what I was looking for, because this is kind of now the luxury. They always speak about what is the reaction or everything. My first reaction when I saw two or three guys around me is like this, because I never had that luxury in my entire career to have — we’re talking about the mega superstars in NBA,” Hezonja said.
“So I told — also Don, Don was the other day explaining to me, when you ISO and now they’re — I said, ‘Don, if I have to ISO, you might have to pay me from your own money, and I’m here to help you. You don’t need me, you don’t need to push me or anything. I will be here for you, for other teammates, for the entire team, that we go further where you guys haven’t been yet. So I’m super experienced, been through everything pretty much in my entire career. So I’m doing this for the second time now. So I’m here to fit into and to help everybody.”
Hezonja has more time to gel with the crew but he has already shown that he is a capable veteran presence off the bench.
Cavaliers $2.7 Million Player Delivers Bold Message To Donovan Mitchell After Gutsy Play