Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 21: The winds of change
@OMagicDaily You think Hezonja will work his way back into the rotation? And what needs to happen for him to be a consistently good player?
— Noah Allo (@n6llo) December 12, 2016
From Sean Odom via e-mail:
"Why didn’t the Magic send Mario to the DL to get court time and to get NBA speed ready??? Seems like they have stunted all their picks over the yrs (Vic @ PG, AG @ SF and now Mario warming the bench). If he would’ve been sent at the beginning of the yr he could’ve been getting run with Zim and probably be back with the Magic by now contributing… Even after seeing it wasn’t working out in the NBA the Magic still chose to keep him here. How much damage, if any, do you think this has done to his development?"
A lot has changed since both of these questions were asked, but the issue with Mario Hezonja still remains: How do the Orlando Magic get Mario Hezonja some experience and some confidence while still going for wins?
Maybe that comes with the caveat of — yes, the Magic are still going for wins.
Frank Vogel has acknowledged this problem and this push and pull recently. There are only so many mistakes a team can stomach from a young player — repeated mistakes, at that — and earn playing time.
The lineup change that will come thanks to the Terrence Ross trade will get Hezonja more playing time. The recent injuries also saw Hezonja’s minutes uptick — not to mention get a few starts.
That should last.
Hezonja has gotten himself back in the rotation now. He is showing signs of things clicking defensively. And his offensive confidence is slowly returning. He, at least, is not afraid to let it fly. Whether he makes it is another question.
If he continues to play better defense and make shots, he can return at least to promising prospect. He has to work on keeping his dribble tighter and learn better defensive positioning. His effort is there — it is noticeable and Vogel has agreed all year. He just has not produced on the floor.
Orlando Magic
The way the Magic opted to develop Hezonja this season is certainly a matter for debate. Everyone assumed he would be part of the rotation at the beginning of the season and get a longer leash. His struggles on the defensive end and his inability to shoot had him parked on the bench.
Hezonja failed to gain his coach’s trust and there was little sign that he was getting it.
The Magic probably would have sent him to the D-League for a few spot games if the team were in Lakeland, like it will be next year. But with the team in Erie and the Magic’s belief that a player like Hezonja will grow better by practicing in the NBA. Orlando did not want to send Hezonja away for a few weeks.
It has absolutely been a disappointing season for Hezonja. With the Magic changing to go smaller and fading out of the Playoff race, Hezonja will get his chance to play more now. That should get Magic fans excited again.
More importantly, Hezonja has to show some growth to remain part of the team’s future.