The NBA Rookie Countdown continues in Central Florida, where we check on the Orlando Magic and international sensation Mario Hezonja. Hezonja is the fourth lottery pick added to the roster over the past three drafts, and hopefully for Orlando he’ll be able to live up to his ceiling as a high-octane scorer.
Why He Was Drafted?
I could probably just end this profile with that video, in “mic drop” fashion, but that would mean you wouldn’t be able to see this:
https://vine.co/v/enO5vwVLdHM
If you haven’t figured it out by now, the 20-year old, 6-foot-8 Croatian wing is a destroyer of worlds, mainly as an offensive player. Hezonja has incredible size and athleticism, but it seems to be his mental approach to the game that gives him an edge, as he plays with an intensity similar to Russell Westbrook and Kobe Bryant, two names in a different stratosphere at this stage in his career.
Don’t tell Mario that.
Unfortunately we don’t have an amazing sample size from his time playing in Spain to justify using a top-five pick on him, but despite averaging just 5.8 points on 15.4 minutes per game last season, the skill set is clearly there. If you look at his per-36 numbers from his last season playing in Liga ACB, Hezonja averaged 13.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals, shooting 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from three.
You saw his ridiculous dunk from Summer League above, which was just part of the rookie’s solid showing in his first taste of NBA action. In two games, Hezonja averaged 13 points in just under 25 minutes per game, showing an ability to heat up quickly even if he’s struggling to shoot the ball (38-percent from the field, 29-percent from three). We’ve seen more of the same from Hezonja in his preseason sample, playing just about 20 minutes per game and averaging around 9 points, not particularly shooting the ball well.
As someone who didn’t get a ton of minutes or exposure leading up to being drafted, I don’t think the Magic took Hezonja with the intention for him to immediately save their franchise. With that said, on top of delivering highlight-reel plays almost every time he steps on the court, the sky is the limit for this kid, and he should be one of the most fun rookies to watch this season and beyond.
How Does he Fit in with the Magic?
When discussing the Magic, their talented young core, and their immediate future, it’s very important to remember that this team hasn’t won more than 25 games the past three seasons. They’re still in “we need help, everywhere” mode.
I think making defense-minded Scott Skiles their new head coach is a step in the right direction. He should really be able to get the most out of young’ins Aaron Gordon, Victor Oladipo, and Elfrid Payton, who were defensive standouts coming into the league. Whether or not he’ll be able to help Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris hone their skills on that end seems to be a huge question mark moving forward.
Lots of people who cover the league think the Magic could or should be the surprise team in the Eastern Conference. Again, I think it’s important to not expect that to come from the addition of Hezonja, as much as it comes from the roster being comprised of several very talented players who have spent the last couple of seasons learning from losing.
Where Hezonja should help is on offense, where the Magic need more players who can create shots not just for themselves, but for others. Payton, whom the team acquired to be the point guard of the future, is offensively challenged. As feasible as it is for Oladipo to run the offense, he seemed better suited last season to play off the ball more than he did his rookie year, when he was asked to run more of the offense.
Hezonja, despite having a knack for turning the ball over, also seems to see the court exceptionally well, and has the ability to make tough passes look easy. Here he is connecting with Gordon on the fast break:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WlFsMnVkkU
You’ve seen that Hezonja isn’t afraid to get out and run, but I’m guessing the biggest impact he’ll make for Orlando is as a shooter and floor spacer. Finishing 16th in the league in three-point percentage last season, it’s not that the Magic aren’t a good shooting team, it’s that they only took the 22nd most threes in the league. Part of that was their slow pace, which Hezonja will more than likely speed up when he’s on the court; the other part was they had only three rotation players (four if you count Ben Gordon) shoot above 35 percent from three.
One more time, we’re talking about a team that’s just trying to improve upon 25 wins, and highlighting how a rookie who wasn’t able to play more than 15 minutes per game overseas fits into the equation. I’m not sure he fits anywhere immediately, but he could be the team’s leading scorer down the line, and should definitely make life easier for Payton and Oladipo.
What Should We Expect Out of Him?
Highlights and fun basketball, lots of both.
With some rookies I’m kind of expecting them to greatly improve upon their Summer League/preseason stats, given more opportunities to play with better talent. However, I think what we’ve seen out of Hezonja to this point is what we should expect for the most part, maybe with more efficient shooting. If I had to guess a statline, I’d say that in 20-25 mintues, Hezonja averages a tad below 10 points per game, below two assists, around two rebounds and a steal, shooting 42 percent from the field and 36 percent from three.
Before we wrap up, one more thing: Hezonja’s style of play has often been compared to one Earl J.R. Smith III. See below, re-watch the videos in this profile, and enjoy the ride.
https://vine.co/v/MgQ02mIHY2M
