Orlando Magic 2017-18 Third Quarter MVP: Mario Hezonja

In a season that has been exceedingly dark and frustrating one players’ development in the last 20 games stood out. Mario Hezonja arrived, at least in part.

When the Orlando Magic turned for home from the midpoint of the season, everything already seemed a bit pro forma. The team had already sunk to the bottom of the standings and the Playoffs were a longer than a long shot. The dreams born 20 games ago had quickly faded.

The future it seemed was all that mattered. And even that looked murky. With all the injuries Orlando faced, the season quickly devolved. There were not many players Orlando could count on consistently.

The MVP of the first two quarters of the season was the same tantalizing player — Aaron Gordon. He began showing signs he was ready to take a leap and that promise became the story of the season.

But injuries knocked him out for much of the third quarter of the season. Where would Orlando turn to for hope this time around? Who was the guy who would step up into this void and define the third quarter of this lost season? who would be their best and most promising player?

Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac should have been that answer. But injuries took them off the board.

Evan Fournier was a stalwart, as he usually is. He dutifully put up points and led the team in scoring in the third quarter of the season — 18.4 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting and 35.9 percent from beyond the arc. That is not too special, just standard fare.

No one talks about what Evan Fournier does. The team just expects him to deliver and to deliver those kinds of numbers. It is perhaps that frustration that has him likely on the trade block this offseason — certainly the kind of player it seems the Magic are ready to move on from.

What everyone talked about though was potential realized. A glimmer of hope for a player fans loved and a glimmer of hope for what this team is doing behind the scenes on the practice court.

The player who defined the third quarter of the Magic’s season was not someone who led the team in scoring or who even might be on the team next year… He did not even keep his starting job when injured players returned.

He was not the best but he was the most surprising. A pleasant surprise in a season of disappointment.

Mario Hezonja was the Orlando Magic third-quarter MVP. He became the player who defined the last 21 games and provided at least a little bit of a spark and interest in the games.

Hezonja’s final stat line for the 21 games from Jan. 10 through March 2 (Friday’s win over the Detroit Pistons) was a relatively unimpressive 12.7 points per game on 47.2 percent shooting and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. Five other players — including the hot-and-cold Jonathon Simmons — scored more points per game than him in the last two months.

Hezonja’s designation as the Magic’s MVP in the third quarter of the season is not merely about counting statistics. It is truly about hope for a better future for a team that has such a disappointing and frustrating present.

Hezonja started the season without any assurance he would be in the rotation. In fact, he was not. Last year — knee injury or not — was a complete disaster for him. He was barely playable and at the end of the season. Coach Frank Vogel stuck him at power forward just to get him out there while still hiding him on defense.

The results were mixed, but hopeful. Hezonja committed himself to getting healthy this summer, skipping Eurobasket with Croatia, and come back ready to make the most of his third year.

His slow start did not help matters and the Magic made the puzzling decision to decline his team option. It seemed the Magic were ready to move on. and it felt like Hezonja needed a fresh start — only no one would even take Hezonja for free in a trade.

Now Hezonja was buried on the bench and seeking opportunity.

It finally came to him when Gordon sprained his hip flexor and had to miss several weeks. Things were building for Hezonja slowly before then — he had his breakout 28-point, eight 3-pointer game against the Pistons. But now the Magic would need him to stay afloat.

And Hezonja delivered.

In six starts from Feb. 5 through Feb. 14, when Gordon was out, Hezonja averaged 17.7 points per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. This is as close as anyone had ever seen to the mythical “fifth-overall pick” Mario Hezonja. The talent Vogel insisted was still in there began displaying itself on the court.

There was no more benching him. He had earned continued playing time with the team. Even when fully healthy. And that is where the Magic are left for the final quarter of the season. Trying to manage a collection of growing players.

But There is no detaching Hezonja’s strong play from his uncertain future. The Magic declined his team option for next year and hampered their ability to retain him. It seemed not even they thought he could break out in this way. After two years of middling play, Hezonja finally found his footing in the league. He will surely get a contract somewhere next year.

It likely will not be in Orlando.

That may sound bleak. But there is solace in this coaching staff and this organization making this reclamation project work.

The hard work both Hezonja put in himself and the Magic put in him — even when they were not playing him — prepared him for this grand opportunity. It made him a better player. And likely saved his NBA career. It is hard not to see him playing somewhere in the league next year.

If the Magic can translate that work to other players on the roster and in the future, it is a good sign for the kind of culture coach Frank Vogel and president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman are building.

The final quarter of the season will bring transition for Hezonja. Despite how well he has played, his future with the team is fairly uncertain. And there are still undeniable flaws in his game the team is trying to cover for.

Jonathan Isaac will push for playing time. That will likely force Hezonja back to the wing, where he is a more natural fit but struggles defensively. Terrence Ross is also waiting in the wings. The Magic will surely want to get him playing time and allow him to regain confidence in his injured leg.

But Vogel said Hezonja will play. He has to with the performance he put in. And his role will expand.

Even already, the Magic are essentially making Hezonja their sixth man for the time being. There will be hiccups and growing pains for sure. But Hezonja is a much better player today than he was even a few months ago.

Next: Two wins and an identity fight for the Orlando Magic

In a dark season, Hezonja shined as a bright spot in the third quarter of the season.