Orlando Magic get some ‘swagger’ and their guy in Mario Hezonja
The Orlando Magic honed in on their man with the same confidence as their Draft pick. The match with Mario Hezonja seemed a fit for the two from the start.
As Adam Silver announced the Orlando Magic’s fifth overall pick of Mario Hezonja during the 2015 NBA Draft, the camera in the war room showed a bunch of guys who were clearly thrilled. They had their man.
Any scenarios for the Magic to trade down or do anything with their pick officially ended when Hezonja came up available at their pick. This was always their man. They had the same confidence that Mario Hezonja has when he steps onto the floor.
This was the guy to help complete the team and push them forward to the next stage of development.
“This is a guy that we were hoping would be there.” –Rob Hennigan
“This is a guy that we were hoping would be there,” Rob Hennigan said. “We feel that he is a great fit in a lot of different ways. We love his skill set and his personality. We love the charisma and the swagger that he plays with and we think he will fit in quite well.”
Hezonja is listed at 6-foot-6 and can play both wing positions. That was part of the reason why the Magic liked him. Positional versatility is still a plus for the Magic as they have several guys who can do multiple things.
For FC Barcelona last year, he averaged 5.8 points per game in 15.4 minutes per game. He shot an astounding 57.0 percent effective field goal percentage including 37.9 percent from beyond the arc. This is a player who is extremely skilled on the offensive end.
Hezonja has a lot of offensive firepower along with a great shooting ability. The Magic believe he is a dynamic player who can improve defensively. The positional versatility is something they continue to like about their team.
What Hezonja is known for is his offense though. He can put up points in a hurry. A better measure is his play in FIBA competitions. At the 2012 U20 FIBA World Cup, Hezonja averaged 20.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 27.8 minutes per game, shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and posting a 50.4 percent effective field goal percentage. Croatia finished third in the tournament.
He played for the senior national team for Croatia at last year’s FIBA World Cup, but received only 13 minutes total in two games. He is expected to play for Croatia at Eurobasket this summer.
He showed his offensive skill in Game One of the ACB Finals against Real Madrid when he scored 18 points on 5-for-6 shooting on 3-pointers. This is a guy who can get hot quickly and make a lot of shots.
“I’m trying to do the best on everything that I can do in the game of basketball,” Hezonja said. “I want to do every single detail at the highest level. Not only to do the little things that will make me great, I want to get all of the details at the highest level. People say the confidence and all of this stuff, it’s just me. It just pushes me every day to go even harder and prepares me for the great things ahead.”
For those wondering if he will be in Orlando next season, Rob Hennigan said they expect a buyout to be completed in the coming days and for him to play for the Magic next season. There seemed to be no doubt they would accomplish this quickly, leaving little chance of another Fran Vazquez situation.
Hezonja reportedly only missed the Draft in Brooklyn because Barcelona called a practice after the team was swept in the final and Hezonja did not want to be in breach of his contract. Hezonja confirmed he would be getting his buyout completed within the next few days and then would fly to Orlando to meet his new team.
His buyout was never a concern. The bigger concern for him was how he rounded out his game.
The reputation on him was that he is a cocky player who lets his offense dictate his defense. He was a guy who let a couple missed shots affect his effort and his overall game. That will have to change.
But the Magic also believe that bravado and cockiness can be a positive thing. They like his confidence and see it as a positive. His defensive shortcomings, they feel they can correct over time as they would with any young player.
In fact, it was during a sit-down meeting with Rob Hennigan in early June that Hezonja felt he knew the Magic would pick him. It was the only the chance for the Magic sit down with him as Hezonja was still completing his season with Barcelona.
“To be honest with you, since I met them the first time, I kind of knew I would be in Orlando next year.” –Mario Hezonja
“As soon as I saw their approach and they were up front with me, I really felt they were sharing the love with me,” Hezonja said. “I really loved the way they approached me. To be honest with you, since I met them the first time, I kind of knew I would be in Orlando next year. I was not 100 percent sure, but I was thinking and hoping about it.”
Hezonja did not get a chance to learn a lot about the Magic since he had his own season going on and the Magic are not a nationally visible team. But Hezonja said the vibe he got from the Magic and from Rob Hennigan in his meeting, he knew this was the place he would be.
That might be just blind confidence speaking. But that is what Hezonja has.
Orlando has been a team full of nice guys lacking a killer instinct and the hot streak to go out and win. Hezonja might be the guy to change that.
And the Magic got their man in the end.
“They are a really nice bunch of players,” Hezonja said. “They are young, a really young team. I think we’ll get along really quickly and really easily. We’ll be able to translate Orlando Magic basketball to another level pretty soon in the future.”