Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Vol. 25: What comes next?

By Philip Rossman-Reich

DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 11: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic looks to pass against the Dallas Mavericks on February 11, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 11: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic looks to pass against the Dallas Mavericks on February 11, 2017 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 10
Next
Mario Hezonja, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors
OAKLAND, CA – MARCH 16: Mario Hezonja #8 of the Orlando Magic dribbles the ball against the Golden State Warriors on March 16, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

I am probably not the guy to ask about Mario Hezonja. I know there are still the Hezonja optimists, but I am not one of them.

His second season was beyond disappointing and it is tough to see him getting many opportunities to play with Terrence Ross, Evan Fournier, Arron Afflalo, Jonathon Simmons and Jonathan Isaac on the roster. Even Wesley Iwundu is going to push for minutes.

So Hezonja has his work cut out for him.

To start the year, I do not see Hezonja in the rotation. At least not if he is the player he was last year.

Yes, Hezonja showed some signs of life toward the end of the season. His defense got better. But it was still not quite at the level the team needs.

And Hezonja’s supposed NBA skill just absolutely betrayed him. It is hard to consider anyone as a “solid” 3-point shooter when he has a year worse than 30 percent. He just was not reliable from beyond the arc.

The first step to Hezonja getting playing time is to prove he is a good 3-point shooter again. And that is going to have to happen in practice. With him having that base, there begins the opportunity for him to carve out some role.

But he has to perform first. He is not going to get gifted a role. He may have to show his willingness to play by going down to the G-League and proving himself and taking that assignment seriously.

At this point, Hezonja is just not a usable player. Not based on what he did last year. It is hard to see him taking a role from the other players ahead of him on the depth chart.