Orlando Magic: 5 bench players most likely to become starters

4. Mario Hezonja

Nobody has more to lose on this team heading into the season than swingman Mario Hezonja.

In two years he has never looked like a fifth overall pick and last season, his confidence was shot as he proceeded to mostly toss up ill-advised and out of rhythm shots.

This isn’t all on Hezonja, however, but now more than ever it looks like the Magic have moved on without him as they’ve gone from a bunch of young players to a team with an identity.

Orlando Magic

Why, then, does Hezonja have any hope of playing more than the 14.7 minutes per game he averaged last year, let alone actually start for the team?

Hezonja still has a skill-set that, if used correctly, would make him a valuable asset for this team. Playing next to Bismack Biyombo and Elfrid Payton, he should be able to space the court.

This is Terrence Ross‘ role right now, but if he were traded or was better suited propping up the second unit (as he did with the Toronto Raptors), an opportunity could come up for Hezonja.

It seems extremely unlikely, and yet Basketball Reference projects him to average 12.6 points per game this coming year for some reason. That figure was 4.9 last season.

The theory has always been if he could just get a good run in, then he would become a real contributor, but he’s only started 11 games for the Magic since being drafted.

If the season goes south in Orlando, look for Hezonja to start some more, in what will be his final chance to impress the top brass of the organization before being moved on.