Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

5 Worst Starters of the Orlando Magic’s Rebuild Era

By Coby Leibowitz

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 2: Dewayne Dedmon #3 and Victor Oladipo #5 of the Orlando Magic walk down the court during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 2, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 2: Dewayne Dedmon #3 and Victor Oladipo #5 of the Orlando Magic walk down the court during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 2, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
Mario Hezonja, Orlando Magic
Apr 4, 2018; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Mario Hezonja (8) drives to the basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

5 worst starters of the Orlando Magic’s rebuild era

Mario Hezonja (2016-18)

41 starts, 6.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.3 APG

In 2015, the Orlando Magic drafted the Barcelona sharpshooter Mario Heoznja with the fifth overall pick in the draft. This may go down as one of the biggest busts in Magic draft history and maybe NBA history.

Despite being a sharpshooter overseas he had career shooting splits with the Magic of 41.8/33.2/83.7. He never shot better than 35 percent from three with the Magic and was decent around the rim. He was not a playmaker and a liability on defense.

Hezonja had 20 games with at least 15 points in 219 games and 79 games with 3 or less including 28 games with 0. Yes, you read that right. He had more games with 0 points than 15 or more.

He never averaged 10 points per game in a season and was never the scorer he was supposed to be. His shot creation was poor, he could not get to the free throw line and he was just plain and simple not hitting shots.

He did not make up for it on the other end of the court either. The team only won more than 30 games his rookie year as Hezonja struggled to break into Scott Skiles’ rotation.

Hezonja often says the coaching change from Scott Skiles to Frank Vogel hurt his development. That might be true, but Hezonja struggled to make improvements on his own.

The team got worse as his time in Orlando went on. In his time with the Magic, he totaled 1,517 total points, 277 assists and 603 rebounds. That is 80 more points, eight more assists and 106 rebounds more than Paolo Banchero got in just his rookie year.

Hezonja totaled a -497 plus/minus on the Magic and was only a top 10 scorer on the Magic his last year where he was the seventh-highest scorer at 9.6 points per game.

Hezonja is most remembered for having a game-winning block on LeBron James when he was on the New York Knicks, so that just shows all his great moments with the Orlando Magic.  He also had two double-doubles on the Magic so maybe that is his legacy on the Magic.

After his three years with the Magic, they declined his fourth-year player option and let him walk. He eventually signed with the Portland Trail Blazers and is now out of the league.

Next. Top 5 What Ifs in Orlando Magic history. dark

Hezonja was awful and was a bust of a 5th pick. He was a highly scouted player who never put anything together and he was the biggest disappointment on this list.