Mario Hezonja’s growth evident as he faces uncertain future
Mario Hezonja has made the most of his season and shown some clear signs of growth. His free agency still looms large as a cloud of uncertainty.
Mario Hezonja has come a long way in one season.
He has come a long way in one week as coaches and Hezonja himself will tell you.
The young forward admittedly did not play his best in last Thursday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored nine points on 3-for-9 shooting, missing four of his five 3-pointers and taking some early shots that were almost certainly ill-advised.
In the time between that game, coach Frank Vogel and the coaching staff broke down the tape with Mario Hezonja. They pointed out the mistake she had made and the areas where he could continue to improve. It was a “constructive film session” as Vogel put it.
But the trick with a young player is to take those lessons and learn from them in the next game and then the game after that.
The question for the Orlando Magic and for Hezonja was whether the lessons of that film session would truly sink in.
In the Orlando Magic’s win over the Phoenix Suns last Saturday, they seemed to do so. Hezonja was not a huge factor offensively, making just four of seven shots for 14 points. But his improved shot selection and ball movement but his willingness to defend and correct those mistakes stood out more.
Orlando Magic
Hezonja is still a work in progress. He showed some of that improvement once again Wednesday, along with plenty of slippage. But everyone is impressed with the steps he has taken this year.
"“The way he played the beginning of last year, he looked like he didn’t belong in the league,” Vogel said. “Now he has a far better feel for all that stuff. It’s just one of those things when we talk about this stuff takes time for young players to learn and grow and develop, he has made a lot of progress in a lot of these areas.”"
It is hard to say much about Hezonja and his season — especially against the backdrop of his uncertain contract situation. The one thing that is clear is Hezonja has turned himself back into an intriguing young player. Someone who still has to improve, but has shown an ability to contribute while he does.
Hezonja is averaging 9.3 points per game, shooting a 51.7 percent effective field goal percentage. He had a string of games where he looked like the best player on the Magic in their injury-riddled season.
No matter what his ceiling might still be, this season is a far cry from last year. He averaged 4.9 points per game and shooting a 42.0 percent effective field goal percentage. This year, at least, he forced his way into the rotation after falling completely out of it last year.
But where Hezonja has improved — and still has to improve — is in making the simple plays and reading the game. That trademark confidence never left him. He is willing to and wants to shoot every time he touches the ball. Discerning when to shoot and when to pass is still a nuance he has to learn in his game.
He has made strides and teammates can see it.
"“He’s a very confident player,” Shelvin Mack said. “He thinks he is hot as soon as he steps on the court, which everyone should do. But he is learning there is a time and a place for trying to figure out how to get the right shot. He is able to do that getting out in transition and get the offensive rebound rather than trying to beat your guy one on one all the time.”"
Hezonja realizes this too. He said he knows he gets himself into trouble when he tries to take over games. That simply is not his role. Hezonja has had to figure out how to contribute to the team when he was not on the ball.
This aspect is largely why he did not play last season. His shot had betrayed him and he could not do much defensively.
Vogel said Hezonja’s defense still has a long way to go — he still wonders a bit too much and gambles for steals — but it has improved. Everyone can see that.
Hezonja has put in the work to take advantage of his talents much more this year.
"“Overall I learned how to read what is better for me and what is not so good,” Hezonja said. “If I pass my shot or dribble to the paint and find someone else it will look even better than if I took a shot and made it. Over the period of time I was here, I learned a lot. I learned how to read the NBA game. Thankfully with all my work and with all my video stuff with the coaches, I got to a point where every time I get the ball or when I don’t have the ball, I have multiple options to involve myself or my teammates.”"
Vogel still showers praise on Hezonja when he talks about him.
He has said even while Hezonja was languishing on the bench that his talent was apparent. He flashes that talent in plenty of places throughout the course of the season even in his limited minutes. In a few instances, he puts it all together.
Vogel still sings high praises. He said Hezonja is the fastest cutter on the team and his size makes him a great target to finish at the rim and deliver the passes to him on the move. He has gotten better at reading screens to hit jumpers of pin downs.
All this plays in the background of his uncertain future though. Hezonja will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He is aware of this and sees it as an opportunity. He seems to think it puts him in an advantageous position.
At the very least, it seems it will allow him to find a situation that can guarantee him the playing time the Magic have not been able to provide.
Hezonja said he would like to remain in Orlando. But even though he said money is not his priority, he knows it is important for establishing leverage to work into rotations.
"“I’m here to play,” Hezonja said. “You know what’s my number one option, you know what I like. Especially the vision of Jeff [Weltman] and John [Hammond] and what they have going on and what they are starting to do. It might be a big thing if we have the right group of guys on the court and we finally build some chemistry. I already see around the court chemistry is really strong to support us. We just have to find who are the guys to bring this team where it belongs and where it was absent for five or six years.”"
It is not clear yet whether Hezonja is part of those plans. He has certainly transformed himself into a different player than what he was at the beginning of the season.
Hezonja still has a long way to go and that makes everything that much murkier for him as the season winds down. He may be hopeful opportunity will come — and with the Magic. But the reality may be different.
Next: Orlando Magic offense unsustainable without identity
All he can do is continue to put in the work and show the improvement from game to game. An upward trajectory has given Hezonja some more solid footing.