For years, the Cleveland Cavaliers' unforced errors have gotten the best of them in big moments. Kenny Atkinson has struggled to hold onto leads, Donovan Mitchell has run out of gas, and fundamental mistakes have come back to haunt this team.
That's why Mario Hezonja will play such a crucial role this season, one that goes way beyond the stat sheet. The former lottery pick is back in the NBA, and he won't let his new team fall victim to avoidable mistakes that would make elementary school trainers shake their heads in disagreement.
Hezonja just needed one game to prove that, waving off Jaylon Tyson and Donovan Mitchell late in the third quarter of the season opener for one simple reason: He had a mismatch. When asked about it, he was pretty blunt about the situation.
Mario Hezonja wants the Cleveland Cavaliers to play simple, intelligent basketball
"I told him [Mitchell] you're not supposed to bring the ball up under pressure because we need you in the last quarter," Hezonja said. "We need you in the playoffs. We need you in game 80, game 60. Having somebody like me that can help... I waved JT (Jaylon Tyson) so he creates space for me to go one-on-one against my mismatch. I spoke to James [Harden] and Donovan; there's five of us on the court, and you need to read those mismatch situations."
That's all there is to that. It didn't matter if Mitchell waved his arms and was frustrated about the situation; Hezonja is there to help him, not necessarily to befriend him. He won't give up a winning play just to accommodate Mitchell's ego.
Basketball is a complex sport full of nuances, but it can also be extremely simple. Sometimes, it's as easy as 'give it to the taller guy, make the taller guy get closer to the rim, and let him maximize his height advantage with an easy bucket.'
Hezonja could've done what most NBA teams do: Let Mitchell bring the ball up the court and try to do something on his own, but that's just not how basketball works. Clearly, that time in Europe worked wonders for him and his decision-making, and that's exactly what you need on the team.
Of course, this doesn't mean that he'll have a green light to do whatever he wants on the court. But he's already showing strong character and that he won't let the Cavaliers beat themselves. Not on his watch.
One often wonders what happened to this type of basketball. Purists often complain about how the NBA has become a three-point contest and a glorified layup line, and as much as we love the game, it's hard to refute that notion at times.
The NBA is still the greatest basketball tournament with the best players in the world, but Hezonja, who's been on both sides of the pond, just gave this team a lesson in basic, winning basketball in his first game back.
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