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NBA Draft: Who is Mario Hezonja

By Philip Rossman-Reich

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Mario Hezonja is the second mystery man of the NBA Draft from overseas. He is an offensive stalwart given to youthful mistakes and consistency issues.

The European prospect stereotype is always in play. Sorry, the NBA and its fans can be kind of like that sometimes.

Despite every assurance Kristaps Porzingis is coming to the NBA next year, there are still Magic fans afraid of Fran Vazquez happening again and several other teams and fans wondering whether they will really come to the NBA immediately.

Then there are the playing stereotypes. The soft, quiet label. The lack of elite talent and athleticism. The cultural and language barrier. Some of them are real concerns and some of them are the ghosts of failed prospects in the past.

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Former Knicks player puts NBA on blast in recent interview
Former Knicks player puts NBA on blast in recent interview /

Daily Knicks

  • Memphis Grizzlies add Mario Hezonja in three-team trade Beale Street Bears
  • Portland Trail Blazers trade away Mario Hezonja, bring in Enes Kanter Rip City Project
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  • Portland Trail Blazers: Mario Hezonja struggled in 2020, but is back in '21 Rip City Project
  • Portland Trail Blazers: Are we seeing a Mario Hezonja revival? Rip City Project

    • The two European stars at the top of this Draft seem to buck that trend. Kristaps Porzingis has great athleticism and a desire to go into the post even if he needs to add muscle. He does not quite fit in the box European prospects get painted into.

    So what do we make then of a chest thumping, shooting, confident to the point of cocky European swingman? That does not quite fit in the box either.

    Unlike many of the young European prospects who come over, Mario Hezonja played for a championship team in Regal Barcelona (yes, the same team as Fran Vazquez), and had a big championship game. That will be the last taste scouts have of Hezonja before drafting him tonight.

    In total, he averaged 5.8 points per game with 45.7 percent shooting and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc. In Game One of the ACB championship series with Real Madrid, Hezonja dropped 18 points on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc (6 for 10 overall).

    Here is a guy who has a great skill in being able to shoot the ball and is hungry for a larger opportunity. One that will only come slowly in Europe. Young players tend to play more in the NBA than they do in Europe.

    Hezonja though has something very different than many of his European forebearers. He has swagger and confidence. That has been both one of the things that has separated him from his European predecessors and also one of his greatest detractions and weaknesses. Teams wonder if he can focus in and be successful in the NBA, particularly on the defensive end.

    His offensive confidence is both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness in that sense. It appears to affect everything that he does.

    Then come all those stereotypical European questions about adjusting tot he culture, the schedule and the bump up in athleticism.

    It is all part of the questions that go with this prospect.

    Next: The Good