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Around the Beat: Harden Debuts Clean, Hezonja Makes His Case

What Cleveland's outlets are saying about Harden, Hezonja and the Finals talk circling after one preseason win.

4 questions
By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk · Tuesday, October 13

The local outlets spent the day on three threads: James Harden's clean preseason debut, Mario Hezonja's path from camp afterthought to rotation name, and bold three-wins-from-the-Finals talk. The facts back two of those threads more than the third.

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Is James Harden really this sharp already?

Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor wrote Harden showed no rust in his preseason debut, and Fear The Sword's Tony Pesta said Harden makes life easier for this offense. The box score backs it: Harden scored 24 points on October 11 as Cleveland beat Orlando 119-105, the win both outlets are writing about today.

Does Mario Hezonja actually make this roster?

Cleveland.com's roundup framed Hezonja as going from a non-guaranteed deal to a genuine rotation need, and Fear The Sword's Jackson Flickinger wrote he's embracing the challenge of returning to the NBA. The roster confirms it: Hezonja, 31, is listed on Cleveland's active roster, not still floating in trade rumors.

Is Evan Mobley actually leveling up?

King James Gospel's Josh Cornelissen and Fear The Sword's Tony Pesta both wrote that Kenny Atkinson has cracked something with Mobley this fall. Last season's numbers support the praise: 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds a game, plus the best lineup on the roster, built around Mobley and Jarrett Allen, posting a net rating of plus-15.4.

Are the Cavaliers really three wins from the Finals?

King James Gospel's Creshonda Smith framed Cleveland's path to the Finals as coming down to just three wins, the same day she wrote Donovan Mitchell hasn't delivered like a champion yet. That's a big leap for a team that is 0-0, coming off a preseason loss to Boston, and finished last season with the league's ninth-best net rating.

The verdictThe beat is right that Harden looks ready and Hezonja has earned a real roster spot — both check out against the record. The Finals talk is getting ahead of a team that hasn't played a game that counts yet.
Did James Harden play well in the Cavaliers' preseason opener against Orlando?

Yes — Harden scored 24 points on October 11 as Cleveland beat the Magic 119-105, and Cleveland.com reported he showed no rust in his debut.

Is Mario Hezonja on the Cavaliers' roster this season?

Yes, Hezonja is listed on Cleveland's active roster for 2026-27, and Fear The Sword reports he's embracing the challenge of returning to the NBA.

By the Cavaliers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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