Cavaliers Preseason Wrap-Up

And just like that, the Cavaliers preseason is over – falling to the Magic, 132-116, on Tuesday night in Orlando. The next time they suit up will be for next Thursday’s eagerly anticipated opener in Philadelphia. 

Back when the Sixers’ small forward began his career in Cleveland, the Cavaliers played seven preseason games. Some teams played as many as nine exhibition contests that year. This season, when the Lakers and Nuggets wrap up on Friday night in L.A., the 2026-27 pretend schedule ends and the rubber hits the road four nights later for opening night. 

Because a fourth preseason game in Abu Dahbi got nixed, Cleveland played only three contests, and the starters might’ve logged slightly heavier loads than they would have otherwise. Fans got their first look at Peyton Watson, Mario Hezonja, and Meleek Thomas in a Cavaliers uniform. And the backup point guard situation will likely unfold organically through the first weeks of the regular season. 

Other than the opener against Boston on Oct. 8 when Jaylon Tyson started in place of James Harden, Kenny Atkinson went with his expected starting five (that included Watson at the 3) in the second two games. 

Coming off an outstanding sophomore year, finishing fourth in the NBA in three-point shooting, Tyson looked solid in all three preseason outings – netting double-figures in each, averaging 13.0 points on 60 percent shooting (15-for-25), going an even 5-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Sunday’s win over the Magic was probably as close to regular season action as we’d seen in the preseason. James Harden logged the most minutes of any player (26) and was the only Cavalier to top the 20-point mark, scoring 24 points on 7-for-10 shooting, going 3-of-5 from deep and 7-of-9 from the stripe, adding six assists and a steal in the win.

“(Harden) makes the game look so easy,” said Kenny Atkinson following Sunday night’s contest. “You don't really worry about who's out there with him, because he makes everybody better. It's the biggest compliment you can give someone. He’s obviously got the great scoring ability, but he's just one of these guys, 99 percent of the time he's making the right decision. It's pretty impressive.” 

Harden also got to finally share the floor with the man he helped recruit to Cleveland – Peyton Watson, who topped double-figure scoring in the preseason finale, finishing with 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting. Watson will eventually fit in on the offensive end. Defensively, he’s already shown off his elite skills – finishing with a pair of blocks in two of his three outings and two steals in Sunday’s win over Orlando. 

The Wine & Gold’s assists leader last year didn’t pace the team in the preseason. That was Craig Porter Jr., who averaged 5.6 APG through three games, bolstered by his 10-assist effort in the opener against Boston. The versatile fourth-year man from Wichita State is locked in a battle with Tyrese Proctor and rookie Meleek Thomas for backup backcourt minutes – and all three have a golden opportunity to start the season. 

Thomas – tabbed with the 34^th overall pick out of Arkansas this past June – finished the preseason in style and made his own argument to see NBA action as a 20-year-old, scoring 14 of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s loss in Orlando. The quietly confident Pittsburgh native went 6-for-8 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from deep in the period.

The final newcomer, Mario Hezonja – making his NBA return after six seasons overseas – showed off his own versatility over the preseason, even running some point in Sunday’s win at Rocket Arena. In 16 minutes off the bench, the 31-year-old Croatian forward finished with 13 points 5-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep, adding five boards, two assists, two steals, two blocks and +/- number of +15.

In his second NBA incarnation, Hezonja talked about fitting in with his new squad after being away for so long.

“It’s a challenge, it’s a lot different,” said Hezonja. “But I know how to play, I know, basketball, I know, the sport. I might be away from NBA, but I was never away from the game. I know what to do, what not to do, especially being the type of team that we are. I’m just trying to find my role; thank God I'm super-versatile.”

Hezonja rounds out a frontline that includes Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley – who each had solid moments in limited action during the preseason – along with Thomas Bryant, who inked an offseason deal to remain with the Wine and Gold after a solid campaign in 2025-26 after defecting from the Pacers. 

Bryant had a quietly strong preseason off the bench, and his services will be necessary heading into the year. Health is never guaranteed. 

In three games, the 10^th-year man from Indiana averaged 9.3 points per, with a pair of blocks in the opener, four boards on Tuesday in Orlando and 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in Sunday’s victory in Cleveland. In the preseason, T.B. was 10-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three-point range.