Knicks hope for ‘Super Mario’

Hezonja, former No. 5 pick, aims to revive his career with New York

Mario Hezonja’s NBA career, to this point, has been a roller coaster ride, just one that mostly plummets. It started at its highest point as the fifth overall pick three years ago, but he had the misfortune of being drafted by the Magic, quietly the worst team in the Eastern Conference over the last six years.

Things in Orlando were done upside down and backwards, which is partly why Hezonja is in New York today as the Knicks’ top freeagent signing. The 23-year-old didn’t get an opportunity to start until the Magic declined his contract option. And when he finally played consistent minutes, Hezonja made Orlando regret letting him become a free agent.

“I’ve seen it, I’ve seen the worst,” Hezonja says in an interview with the Daily News. “This is my three years in Orlando (motions an up-anddown rollercoater). It was unfortunate. If you would ever say back then when I was drafted, ‘Mario, this is what will happen.’ I’d say, ‘Hell no. I’m the guy here.’

“But it happens. And it’s about who you are as a person. You can’t act like an ass and like, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ You have to work at everything. And that’s the beauty of the NBA. A lot of stuff happens.”

Hezonja, much like Kristaps Porzinigis, doesn’t fit the stereotype of the European player. He plays with flamboyance. He talks trash. He believes every place on the court is his sweet spot. He’ll remind you his nickname is “Super Mario.”

But Hezonja’s confidence shouldn’t be confused with arrogance. The reason why he wasn’t buried by the Magic last season was because he humbly earned his opportunity. He convinced people who had no stake in his career that his role should increase, despite that being against the direction of the franchise.

“I was supposed to be in Jahlil Okafor’s situation (in Philadelphia), like, ‘We’re not going to play you, and you’re just going to sit on the bench,’” says the Croatian, who averaged 14 points and 5.6 boards on 46 percent shooting in his 30 games as a starter last season. “But because I was not an a--hole, I was not b---tching to teammates, I worked hard, they played me.”

For the better part of his three years in Orlando – before he was thrust into the starting lineup – Hezonja spent games on the bench and post-games training to simulate the game. He found a very willing workout partner in Orlando’s video coordinator Cory Verjaska. His efforts were poured into practice.

“I wasn’t playing, but at practice you better be ready because I’m going to bust your ass,” he says. “And I’m probably not going to play in the game but I can help you.

“It wasn’t about me. I’m going to go out and practice. I’ll get mine later.”

Still, the Magic was a mess. The GM, Rob Hennigan, completed one awful move after another. Hezonja had three coaches in his first two seasons, not counting an interim. The second coach, Scott Skiles, kept Hezonja on a short leash. His relationship with the third coach – Frank Vogel – didn’t blossom until both knew they wouldn’t survive in Orlando.

“Frank changed a little bit with me. Once he put me in the starting lineup, our relationship went to another level,” Hezonja says. “We always had relationship of person-to-person, but once I became his starter and he had trust in me, he was like, ‘Okay, this is my player No. 1,’ and it became a close relationship.”

Hezonja can relate to Porzingis, who is also on his fourth coach (David Fizdale) and endured chaotic seasons in New York. The two have known each other since they were teenagers playing professionally in Spain. Then they were taken back-to-back in the 2015 NBA draft.

“I was just talking to K.P. (about playing for so many different coaches). He had the same situation. And I was talking to him like, ‘Damn, sometimes it’s bad. But sometimes it doesn’t really matter,’” Hezonja says. “Everybody who comes, they know who you are as a player. They’re just trying to figure out who you are as a person so there shouldn’t be much problem adapting to a new coach.”

Nonetheless, the longterm outlook on Hezonja’s career in New York is hardly firm. He turned down multi-year offers in the summer to join the Knicks on a one-year, $6.5 million deal, effectively betting on himself to produce another breakthrough.

But if the Knicks want to bring him back next season, they’d have to dip into their precious 2019 cap space that’s been earmarked for an AllStar free agent. Hezonja believes that All-Star can be him. But he’s also learned the importance of patience.

“There is no ceiling for me. And you know that,” he says, smiling.