Mario Hezonja has his breakthrough

Mario Hezonja has had an inconsistent road through his rookie season. The fifth overall pick had his breakthrough moment as his play becomes more consistent.

Minutes had been hard to come by for Mario Hezonja.

The promise of being picked No. 5 was not turning into immediate dividends. As the Magic descended in January, Hezonja’s absence was noticeable and frustrating.

There were discussions about role, minutes played and mistakes as part of his development. Hezonja was on board with the development plan because he sees long-term gain along with the Magic.

What was still needed was a sign of hope on the court, some actual production. Particularly considering the Magic are trying so desperately to win.

Sunday finally felt like Hezonja had made his break through, that he finally had put the pieces together and was rewarded for his play.

Hezonja played 33 minutes, making 7 of his 13 shots and three of his six 3-pointers in scoring a career-high 17 points. He made a few defensive mistakes, but was more solid as he has ever been and earned his time on the court.

He just played and played well, making an impact in the game the Magic had to win.

“He was huge,” Aaron Gordon said Sunday. “He came off the bench and played like a monster. His efficiency on the court, his ability to make plays for other people and his shooting abilities are outstanding. If he can continue to do that, it makes us a better team for sure.”

Skiles concurred his offense was good. That is what the team expected when it drafted him. He was equally impressed with his ability to handle the ball against the Celtics’ difficult guards. Hezonja has gotten back to playing point guard.

It is on defense where Hezonja has to make the most improvement. He agrees with this notion. Even after his strong performance Sunday, Hezonja expressed dissatisfaction with his own and his team’s defense.

“It’s important, but it’s not there yet,” Hezonja said. “It was good, we had a bunch of steps, but I’m not going to lie to you, I’m not happy with that [the finish]. Nobody is happy with that. We’ve got to do more and overall strive for more.”

What might have made Sunday’s performance better is that Hezonja followed it up well Monday night in San Antonio even in a loss.

Hezonja scored only four points on 2-for-8 shooting but added two steals and was relatively solid defensively.  Hezonja played 20 minutes in three straight games for the first time in his career. So it appears Scott Skiles is trusting Hezonja much more and giving him the distance to go out and play.

Even if he did not put up the same offensive numbers, Hezonja held his own on the floor. He was not a negative on the floor as he sometimes can be with his inconsistent defense.

This season has been a roller coaster for Hezonja, as any rookie year can be. There were not expectations for Hezonja to make an immediate impact — his play would ultimately determine his playing time, but the Magic drafted him knowing full well he would be a project.

Eventually though comfort would have to come. Hezonja would have to find his way into playing time. Sunday represented that opportunity where he finally really shined.

“It is hard as a rookie to find yourself especially in his position with a lot of great players,” Nikola Vucevic said. “He was great [Sunday] for us. He was playing with a lot of freedom, he was playing like we know he can. he made some very good plays for us.

“It’s not easy when you come from a different country and a different style of basketball where he played. To get adjusted, It takes some time. He’s really young, but he is improving every day.”

If this is what Hezonja can ultimately be, it can be very good for the Magic. He is not quite creating for himself yet consistently, but this was a big step for him. A moment where talent coalesced and potential became reality for a moment.

But it was just a moment. Monday was a copying of his defensive play that will get him more minutes on the floor. But it was not a Sunday offensive performance. Hezonja, like most rookies, is still trying to get everything consistent.

As has been the case throughout the season, Hezonja has been hard on himself. As he said, his defense was not where he wants it to be yet. He knows he has to work on that to get more playing time.

Even a good performance is not enough for him.

“I take everything as bad because I wan to be even better,” Hezonja said. “If I do something bad, I want to improve it and use it to my advantage next time. Any time I look at tape, I don’t like what I see.”

Hezonja is still searching for consistency at the end of the day, as most rookies are. He has gotten more comfortable and confident. He is beginning to produce. He just has to do that more often.

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Sunday showed what Hezonja can do and that things are beginning to come together. He should see his role continue to increase as he continues to show things are clicking into place.