By John DentonOct. 22, 2015
ORLANDO – It was the kind of crunch-time, pressure-packed situation that a 20-year-old rookie such as Mario Hezonja wouldn’t figure to factor in to because of his minimal amount of NBA experience.
Yet, as the Orlando Magic’s prized pick in this past June’s NBA Draft showed once again on Wednesday night, Hezonja is far from being some wide-eyed rookie who is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment.
With the Magic up two on Wednesday and inside of the final 3 minutes of a preseason game they were intently trying to win, head coach Scott Skiles designed a play that had his confident, but raw rookie guard playing a central role.
After taking the ball out of bounds on the right side of the court, Hezonja ran along the baseline and curled sharply off a screen set by Magic big man Nikola Vucevic to free himself from the defense of Eric Gordon. Hezonja received a pass from C.J. Watson and, because he had already torched the New Orleans Pelicans for 19 points and four 3-pointers earlier in the game, he commanded the full attention of the defense.
This time, however, Hezonja showed Magic fans, the New Orleans Pelicans and a basketball world already buzzing about his moxie as a shooter a different side of his game. Looking like a veteran player totally comfortable in the clutch, Hezonja dribbled twice to draw Kendrick Perkins up and then he effortlessly bounced a no-look pass to Vucevic for a thunderous dunk.
It was, especially for a player who is still getting used to life in the NBA, life in America and life with a new set of teammates, a thing of beauty and great poise. And it spoke volumes about Hezonja’s anticipatory instincts as a playmaker.
“Y’all forget that he’s been playing pro (basketball) since he was like 2,” joked Magic guard Victor Oladipo about Hezonja, who had 19 points, four 3-pointers, four rebounds and two assists on Wednesday. “Over there (in Europe), the basketball is intense too and it’s not just the NBA that has good basketball. … He’s comfortable out there and he doesn’t have to try and do too much because he knows what he can do already. That’s why he’s so good.”
As the Magic (5-2) head into their final game of the preseason on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies (6-0) at the Amway Center, they have learned full-well just how good Hezonja is. The scouting report on him out of his native Croatia and Spain’s top league was that the 6-foot-8, 218-pound Hezonja was loaded with confidence and athleticism and able to knock down shots from all over the perimeter.
What has been something of a surprise is the way that Hezonja has been a willing passer and someone very capable of making his teammates. Earlier in the preseason, he responded to some heated barking from NBA veteran Amare Stoudemire by executing a pick-and-roll play perfectly to get Dewayne Dedmon. Once again on Wednesday, when the Magic outlasted New Orleans 110-107 in overtime, Hezonja figured prominently in the game with his all-around game.
“You just have to have a feel for the guys around you, especially your teammates and the (opposing) guys and then read them,” said Hezonja, who preferred to give Skiles credit for drawing the play up early in training camp. “So it was just an instinct and a read on the play.”
Through seven games thus far, Hezonja has averaged 10.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.3 minutes a game. And even though he sometimes has too quick of a trigger on his shot, he’s made 46.6 percent of his field goals and 37 percent of his 3-point tries. Wednesday was his most dazzling shooting night yet as he made six of his first seven shots and each of his first four tries from beyond the 3-point line.
Handling the ball – and for that matter, the pressure – is nothing new for Hezonja, who began playing with professional players when he was 11 years old in Zagreb, Croatia. He was considered one of the best young players in Europe throughout his teens and he spent the last three years playing in Spain’s elite ACB League – all experiences that prepared him for this jump to the NBA.
Still, there have been trying moments in the transition. Asked repeatedly this preseason about the difference of playing in Spain and playing in the NBA and Hezonja has repeatedly responded with a one-word answer that sums up his challenge.
“Everything,” he said of the differences of playing in the NBA and living in America. He went on to add that, “Summer League is better than all of the leagues in Europe and the world, and (the NBA) is an even bigger jump. So everything (is different).”
Skiles, a no-nonsense coach who was hired by the Magic to make the team tougher and better defensively, has refused to cut any slack for Hezonja because of his youth and lack of NBA experience. The veteran coach hasn’t been hesitant about quickly pulling Hezonja out of games after making mistakes on the defensive end. That exact scene was unfolding on Wednesday night as Aaron Gordon was sent to the scorer’s table to replace Hezonja only to see the rookie bury 3-point shots on back-to-back possessions. Joked Skiles: “I had a guy at the scorer’s table – but he stuck it in my eye by making two threes while I had a guy (to replace him).”
Skiles can, at times, be hard on players with his brutally honest assessments of their play. The coach is happy how the rookie guard has responded when he’s been criticized in film sessions and how he’s responded following brief benchings.
“You don’t really have to go at him and you can be matter-of-fact with him and talk to him. He understands things right away and he has a really high basketball IQ. We thought that about him and it’s turning out to be true,” said Skiles, who worked with GM Rob Hennigan and assistant GMs Scott Perry and Matt Lloyd in evaluating Hezonja in the weeks leading up to the June NBA Draft. “He has a tremendous upside. It’s just a matter of learning everything.
“We don’t believe in the philosophy of no accountability and letting guys just play the way they want and that’s good for their development,” Skiles added. “I think it’s disastrous for players’ development. So out of respect for him we’ll never do that. … Anybody can see – even if you don’t know anything about the game – you can enjoy watching him play, see his energy and his ability to shoot. Those things are easy to see.”
Things that might not be easy to see are the off-the-court struggles that Hezonja has had adjusting to a new culture in the United States. In a move that was entirely not coincidental, Hezonja’s dressing stall in the Magic locker room was placed next to Vucevic’s and close to Evan Fournier’s. Vucevic, a native of Montenegro, grew up just a couple of hours away from Hezonja’s home in coastal Croatia and he’s quite familiar with making the transition to a new country.
Hezonja is extremely confident with everything he does in basketball, but he admitted to having a bit of culture shock in America. One thing that has comforted him – American food, especially his new favorite dish which is eggs benedict.
“With basketball, things are the same, but overall it’s another world outside (of basketball),” admitted Hezonja, who fluently speaks English, Spanish and Serbian. “(The American) culture … obviously the language … and the food – I like the food so much. I’ll stay here forever (because of the food).”
Though he still has plenty of room for improvement – especially on the defensive end – Hezonja said he feels right at home in Orlando. He has been extremely complimentary of his teammates’ welcoming ways – something that wasn’t always the case when he played in Spain.
Skiles said Hezonja has made loads of improvement in the past two weeks alone and he’s eager to see how much of a jump he can make in the next two weeks. Regardless, Hezonja says confidently that he won’t be overwhelmed by any of it – playing in a new league, playing with new teammates or even playing with the ball in his hands late in games. Again, he might be classified as a rookie by NBA standards, but he’s been through enough through the years that he feels he is ready for whatever this season might throw at him.
“I’ve been through a lot where I was the young guy in tough situations. I know how to approach those things,” he said. “After every practice I’m more used to the whole thing. So every day is basically better and better.”
