By John DentonJuly 6, 2015
ORLANDO – Mario Hezonja had Monday’s play of the day at the Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League – a thunderous one-handed dunk that is sure to make the rounds on the sports highlight shows the next 24 hours – but the Orlando Magic rookie was unable to fully enjoy the moment because of a performance he deemed to be a poor one.
Two days after winning his NBA debut with a 3-pointer in the final seconds, Hezonja struggled to find the range from 3-point range, felt out of sorts with the basketball in his hands and even whiffed on two dunks late in a ragged fourth quarter. Throw in Orlando’s 73-65 loss to Oklahoma City and it was easy to see why Hezonja didn’t care too much about talking about his right-handed tomahawk dunk from the second quarter.
``I was fine, but still with some crazy feelings. I missed everything and I was terrible,’’ Hezonja said after a 14-point effort where he made just six of 16 shots and only two of nine 3-point shots. ``But the first thing that bothers me is that I was unable to help my teammates to get the win. The rest will come.’’
It is quite understandable that Hezonja – the fifth overall pick in the June 25th NBA Draft – might struggle considering that he has been in the United States less than a week and he is still learning many of his new Magic teammates. Through two games, he’s made just nine of 24 shots (37.5 percent) and four of 14 3-pointers (28.6 percent), but in several instances he’s displayed the confident shooting stroke and the impressive athleticism that drew Orlando to him in the weeks and months prior to the NBA Draft.
He never hesitated on Saturday’s game-winning 3-pointer – a shot that caused quite a stir back in his native Croatia and in Spain where he spent the past three seasons playing for European powerhouse FC Barcelona. On Monday, he twice drilled corner 3-point shots off feeds from teammates.
And then came the jaw-dropping athleticism that Hezonja used to posterize several members of the Thunder with two thunderous dunks. In the second quarter, the 6-foot-8, 218-pound Hezonja dribbled to his right to lose defender Levi Randolph and he dunked with authority even as he was drilled by a Richard Solomon forearm shiver.
``You have to fight through the contact,’’ Hezonja said steadfastly. ``In this league there are some heavy guys out there and everybody is quicker and more athletic, so I have to work on myself to improve.’’
Early in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game, Hezonja put his basketball smarts and his athleticism on display on the same play. As point guard Elfrid Payton rubbed off a screen and attacked the defense, Hezonja wisely cut behind his defender and caught a lob pass with one hand and dunked with authority. In addition to trying to learn some of the things he needs to know about the NBA game, Hezonja said his top priority from the week of Summer League is to develop chemistry with the likes of Aaron Gordon and Payton.
``They are special, both of those guys,’’ said Hezonja, who has already played 53 Spanish League and EuroLeague games this season and might not play the rest of the week. ``I see Victor (Oladipo) and all of this young core that we have and it’s really amazing. Their talent is not of question and they work really hard here.
``We’re all at the same age and level and we’re all going up,’’ said the 20-year-old Hezonja, referring to Oladipo (23 years old), Payton (21 years old) and Gordon (19 years old). ``There is no one older carrying the guys. We’re just growing up as brothers and we can only go up. So that’s awesome. And we have a new coach (in Scott Skiles), so everybody is just going up together.’’
Other than the two dunks and two 3-pointers, Hezonja mostly struggled through Monday’s game. But Magic assistant coach Monte Mathis said he learned a lot about the rookie with the way that he kept attacking the rim and seeking out shots – even as he was having a tough day. That, Mathis said, is a sign of the rookie’s temerity and toughness.
``He doesn’t back down from physical play, he’ll put his nose in things and he’ll dive on the floor,’’ Mathis said of Hezonja, who is averaging 13 points and 2.5 rebounds in two games. ``He’s got to learn our system – defense and offense and he can point-blank shoot the ball. But he’s also a terrific athlete who can put the ball on the floor. He plays both ends of the floor, he has athleticism and with his mobility as a 6-9 (shooting guard), that’s terrific.’’
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.