Magic rookie Mario Hezonja
continues to navigate his NBA learning curve.
Perhaps no sequence this season has been more emblematic of the improvements rookie Mario Hezonja needs to make than a Washington Wizards inbounds play on Nov. 14.
In the third quarter, with the Wizards leading Hezonja’s Orlando Magic 72-70, the Wizards stacked four players together as Ramon Sessions prepared to inbound the ball. The Wizards’ Otto Porter swung around a teammate setting a pick, but Hezonja avoided the pick and matched Porter step-for-step. But as Porter continued parallel to the baseline, Hezonja hesitated for a split-second,
thinking perhaps that Magic center Nik Vucevic would pick up Porter.
Hezonja’s lapse, a typical rookie mistake, cost the Magic. Porter separated slightly from Hezonja, caught the inbounds pass and scored on a difficult reverse layup.
“Oftentimes, he’s just not ready,” Magic coach Scott Skiles said. “He’s not aware and he’s not ready. He knows it.”
Hezonja has shown tantalizing glimpses of the potential that prompted the Magic to select him
fifth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, but his rookie mistakes on the defensive end and a logjam of other talented wing players are reducing his playing time. Coaches review tape with Hezonja almost daily in an attempt to cut down on his errors.
By all accounts, Hezonja, a 6-foot-8 swingman, has been an eager student.
“It’s a team sport, so I’m looking forward to help the team the best that I can and, of course, [I’m] individually looking to improve because I’m here to play,” he said after he played almost 17 minutes in the Magic’s 97-91 loss Saturday to the Sacramento Kings.
“But, of course, if something is going wrong, I’ve got to learn it — learn it and
earn it — in order for Coach to put me in. I agree with that and that’s really helpful for me, because it drives me to learn even more.”
Hezonja is just 20 years old, and he’s fit in well in the Magic’s locker room, which includes 20-year-old Aaron Gordon, 21-year-old Elfrid Payton, 23-year-olds Evan Fournier, Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo and 25-year-old Nik Vucevic.
All of them faced adjustments transitioning to the NBA, and now they’re learning how to play for Skiles.
Gordon said one of the biggest adjustments for any rookie is to understand “how hard you have to play to play in this league, especially when you’re young. You might think you’re playing hard, but you’ve got to play really, really hard, and I’m still learning that, too. It’s good to have a young guy with me, so we kind of take our growing pains together.”
Hezonja began Sunday ranked third among all rookies in 3-point shooting percentage, trailing only the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker and the Charlotte Hornets’ Frank Kaminsky.
Five other lottery picks — Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor, New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis, Denver Nuggets point guard Emmanuel Mudiay and Miami Heat swingman Justise Winslow — so far have enjoyed more sustained individual success than Hezonja.
The Magic love Hezonja’s potential, and even on defense, he’s shown some promise.
On Nov. 6, in the first half against the Toronto Raptors, Hezonja defended All-Star DeMar DeRozan effectively, staying down on DeRozan’s pump-fakes. But in the second half, Hezonja encountered some trouble, trying too hard to steal the ball and giving up driving lanes.
“We’re trying to get his habits straight,” Skiles said.
“Then, offensively, we’re kind of just letting him play more or less, because we know he’s talented and we don’t want to second-guess his offensive decisions. We’d like to just sort of keep the priority on the defensive end and get him better there. And, then, his offensive game will just develop naturally.”
Even on that end of the floor, Hezonja is adjusting to the speed and physicality of the game.
Hezonja played professionally for FC Barcelona for several years before the Magic drafted him. Still, the differences between Spain’s top professional league and the NBA are profound.
“I want to improve my whole game,” Hezonja said.