Mario Hezonja has gotten inconsistent minutes and had inconsistent production. But there is a plan, one Hezonja understands and appears bought into.
Listening to the chatter from fans, there appears to be a frustration with Mario Hezonja.
Not necessarily with his play, but more with his lack of play. Hezonja, the fifth overall pick in the draft, probably should not be heading to the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge in two weeks in Toronto. He is averaging just 13.8 minutes per game and scoring 4.5 points per game and 11.8 points per 36 minutes. He has a 50.0 percent effective field goal percentage.
If the team cared about those individual statistics his rookie year, it would be easy to begin throwing the ‘b’ word around — even though that is completely unfair to any rookie in the first year of his career.
The Magic though openly admit Hezonja is a project. What they expected from him his rookie year is still a bit uncertain, but it is also clear they have a plan for developing him, even if it sometimes does not make perfect sense.
Tuesday in Milwaukee, Hezonja played one of his best games of the year. He scored 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, the first time he scored at least 10 points and shot 50 percent or better since a Dec. 21 breakout game in New York against the Knicks. It felt very much like Hezonja should have finished the game.
So when Scott Skiles pulled him late in the game for Victor Oladipo, it was a surprise. A somewhat confusing one.
Ask Mario Hezonja about it and ask Skiles about it, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel did, the reason was simple. Hezonja missed a defensive assignment that cost the team points. There appears to be a very hard stick when it comes to that for Hezonja, leaving him on the short end of minutes and with a tight leash.
Skiles told Robbins in Boston this is all part of Hezonja’s development plan. They want him to become a two-way player, equally adept at offense as defense. And Hezonja agrees with the perhaps harsh way his minutes are handled.
"“Maybe a lot of people don’t understand that when he says that it’s like a ‘long-term project’ or whatever word he used, but that’s true,” Hezonja said. “I’m totally fine with that, because I understand it.“Every day for me is step-by-step. I’m trying to learn on both sides. Coach wants for me [to learn], and second of all, that’s me: I want to learn everything. I want to be good at every detail. So every practice is just another step.”"
Hezonja has been this way throughout the year. He would probably be one of the first to tell anyone he does not deserve the minutes many think he should get. His play has always been one of slow emergence and comfort this year.
Still, Hezonja’s offense has been inconsistent at best. A supposed 3-point shooter should have an effective field goal percentage greater than 50 percent.
There are times when Hezonja looks a little tentative and afraid to make mistakes. A more defined and consistent role — along with a longer leash to make some mistakes, as long as they are not repeated — would also likely help him grow.
The numbers show this inconsistency. According to Basketball-Reference, Hezonja has a -2.6 offensive box plus-minus and a -1.6 defensive box plus-minus. Essentially, Hezonja is 2.6 points per 100 possessions worse on offense than the average player and 1.6 points per 100 possessions worse on defense than the average player.
The lineups he is in may not be conducive to defense or much offense — he rarely plays with starters logging just 241 minutes with Victor Oladipo (41.5 percent of his minutes), 172 minutes with Tobias Harris (29.6 percent) and 161 minutes with Nikola Vucevic (27.7 percent). Not that any of those lineups have been effective, none have an offensive rating greater than one point per possession.
There is clearly a long-term development plan the Magic are trying to implement with Hezonja. It may still yet work. It should not be judged based on one year.
There is also still the sense Hezonja is not playing completely up to what he can provide this year. And certainly with the team trying to win games, it would be better to have a Hezonja who is contributing meaningful minutes.
It continues the general frustration with Hezonja.
The good news is Hezonja knows there is a plan and is bought into it. He is not upset when he gets pulled quickly for making a mistake and is trying to understand what that mistake is and to correct it. He has gotten better as the season has gone on.
Next: The Mario Hezonja predicament
The hope for the Magic and Hezonja is that he will show the fruits of those labors next year and throughout his career in Orlando.