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Orlando Magic: Expectations For Mario Hezonja’s Rookie Season

By Nathan Grubel

Apr 10, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) and Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) react after their game against the Toronto Raptors at Amway Center. Toronto Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 101-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) and Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) react after their game against the Toronto Raptors at Amway Center. Toronto Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 101-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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There certainly is no longer a lack of NBA talent in the Orlando Magic‘s locker room.

With playmakers like Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo and Aaron Gordon along with quality big men like Nikola Vucevic and Channing Frye, the Magic have the nucleus of an up-and-coming team that can give anyone trouble in certain situations.

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As great as the team is defensively, however, their offense is still lacking a scorer that can put points on the board in bunches.

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At times, Oladipo has looked like that gifted perimeter scorer that can be relied upon to do something with the ball in his hands late in games, but other times he’s shown a lack of a trustworthy jump shot that has led to questionable drives and lost possessions for the offense.

Even though Oladipo’s shot is turning around, Orlando may have another star player capable of getting buckets on command waiting on the bench.

His name? Mario Hezonja.

Hezonja was drafted by the Magic fifth overall in the 2015 draft and for good reason. Even though he comes from playing professional basketball against weaker competition overseas, he’s been playing at that kind of level since he was 14 years old and has plenty of experience going up against grown men, not just players of his age.

This experience has bode well for his development on both ends of the floor, especially on offense. Here’s a look at how I expect his first year in the league to go.

Offense

Hezonja was drafted because of his scoring ability. Being a dynamic athlete at 6-foot-8, Hezonja has the length and size to dominate at the shooting guard position, and he has the talent necessary to even slide over to the small forward spot in smaller lineups.

Simply put, what’s not to love about Hezonja’s offensive game. He’s long and can handle the ball as well as pull up from any spot on the floor and knock down shots at will.

Whether it’s in the mid-range or beyond the arc, Hezonja can hit a number of shots with ease that a lot of other players simply can’t.

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Hezonja has a high release on a shot and a smooth follow-through. Combine that with his near perfect positioning on the floor and you have a dangerously consistent shooter that can put your team up in a hurry.

Did I mention his explosiveness? Hezonja’s ups are not to be messed with, whether it’s in a practice or in a game.

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With a quick first step, Hezonja has the ball skills and shiftiness to get by and shake any defenders in front of him and the athleticism necessary to finish at the basket regardless of who’s there to challenge him.

Elite athletes with a shooting touch and perimeter ball skills don’t come along very often, making Hezonja a special player in the league regardless of his age.

The only thing that scouts have really knocked about his game is his attitude. Hezonja has a ton of confidence, and let’s just say he doesn’t have a problem of showing any of it and letting it be known when he makes a spectacular play on the floor. He believes he’s the best every time he steps on the floor, and with his talent I don’t blame him.

But he has to remember that it’s a team game and he needs the other guys on the floor with him to do their part and not let Hezonja become too selfish or self-centered on offense.

Hezonja is going to make some mistakes and be a little too overconfident on offense when he thinks he’s hot, but it’s all about learning in your rookie season. He’s got a bit of learning to do, but as long as he works hard and keeps the team’s interests first, he has all of the tools to succeed and be a team’s top scoring option. Now it’s all about putting it together and being consistent.

Defense

While he’s not known for his defense, that doesn’t mean he can’t be good on that end of the floor. Because of his competitiveness, Hezonja gets after guys on defense and does his best to make them wish they didn’t have him as a match-up.

When Hezonja does decide to put forth the required effort and hustle, he can be particularly disruptive in the passing lanes because of his instincts, lateral quickness and length.

On smaller guards, he can be a mismatch nightmare because of his ball thievery and size. Passing on Hezonja can be tough at times because of just how long he is, but when he’s on his game he can pick off even the toughest of passes to play and make it look easy as he gets out on the break and initiates the transition offense.

There were a number of times Hezonja dove for loose balls and made hustle plays to get the offense back on track in the Summer League. As long as he makes those kinds of effort, Magic coach Scott Skiles will have no problem giving the rookie plenty of minutes to improve and keep learning the NBA game.

The potential is there for Hezonja to be a good defender in this league, but he’s going to have to want to be that kind of player in order for that to happen.

Conclusion

When he’s at his best, Hezonja is a two-way wing capable of play stellar enough to get his team through some tough games, which at the end of the day is all any team can really ask of a perimeter player drafted as high as he was.

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    • Hezonja is going to get buckets because of his versatile skill set, but if he can play quality defense he could earn a lot of minutes at the 3 spot or backing up Oladipo at the 2.

    Will there be ups and downs? Of course, it’s his rookie year. But Hezonja may end up being the most special player from this draft class.

    It’s not like he hasn’t played professional basketball before. Hezonja could come in and really surprise some people who thought he wasn’t as NBA-ready as the Magic did.

    We may look back at this draft and say that Hezonja was a steal at number five. With the amount of talent he possesses I sure hope that’s the case.

    Predicted 2015-16 Stat Line: 9.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.9 AST, 44 FG%, 38 3P%

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