Magic rookie Mario Hezonja
demonstrated adaptability in Magic’s win against the Pelicans.
Mario Hezonja has lived in the United States for almost one month, and this country often feels completely different than his two prior homes, Croatia and Spain.
“Overall, it’s another world,” Hezonja said. “Your culture. Obviously, the language. And food. I like the food, so I will stay here forever!”
Hezonja then broke into a grin and chuckled.
Playing basketball in the U.S. still requires an adjustment, too.
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Everything about the NBA, he explained, operates on a higher level than the professional leagues in Europe. Players are faster here. They’re stronger. They’re more physical.
But Hezonja seems to be adjusting well.
The rookie demonstrated his adaptability during the Orlando Magic’s 110-107 preseason overtime win Wednesday night over the New Orleans Pelicans at Am-
way Center.
He scored 19 points, thanks to a 4-of-6 shooting night from 3-point range, and he also played effective defense after he settled into the game.
“He’s progressing for sure,” coach Scott Skiles said. “What we’ve been talking to him about is he has a tendency, like a lot of young players, [where] he checks into the game at whatever point we put him in and teams either go right at him or plays are occurring that he’s not yet comfortable with, and he gets taken advantage of often.”
Skiles typically responds to repeated defensive lapses by subbing out a player. On Wednesday, Skiles dispatched Aaron Gordon to the scorer’s table to replace Hezonja late in the first quarter.
A few seconds later, Hezonja caught a pass on the left wing from Devyn Marble, rose for a 3-pointer over Dante Cunningham and sank the jumper.
After the Pelicans missed a jumper on their next trip down the court, Hezonja struck again. He collected a pass on the right wing from Marble, shot the ball over Cunningham again and sank another trey.
When Hezonja was replaced by Gordon, he spoke with coaches about some of his defensive miscues.
The rest of the night, he played well on that end of the floor.
“He’s got a tremendous upside,” Skiles said. “It’s just a matter of kind of learning everything. We don’t believe in the philosophy that no accountability and just letting guys play whenever they want to play is good for their development. I think it’s disasterous for players’ development. So out of respect for him, we will never do that.”
The Magic have been pleased with how well the 20-year-old Croatian has accepted coaching.
Leading up to the NBA Draft in late June, news reports from Europe portrayed Hezonja as too cocky and too headstrong for his own good.
In Orlando, he has appeared confident but not cocky.
Hezonja also has effusively praised his coaches and his teammates. His postgame interview Wednesday night offered a case-in-point. Asked how he evaluates his performance this preseason, Hezonja answered, “Everything’s going fine, as I always repeat, thanks to these guys [on my team] here and thanks to the coaching staff. So I’m really comfortable here and enjoying it.”
Asked whether he feels more effective on the offensive end of the court than the defensive end, he responded that he feels equally comfortable on both sides of the ball. But he added an important caveat. “Again,” he said, “it takes Scott talking to me every day. . . . not only about defense but everything. I’ve got to improve offensively, defensively as well. It’s not only him. [It’s] all the coaching staff every day.”
His new teammates, including the veterans, have embraced him.
“He’s a likeable person,” guard Victor Oladipo said. “What’s not to like about him? He’s 20 years old, and he’s excited to be here. He has fun every day. He’s learning, and he’s going out there and he’s just having fun, playing the game of basketball, playing as hard as he can.”
The Magic’s locker room is a refreshing change for Hezonja, who sometimes wasn’t welcomed by the older players at his Spanish club, FC Barcelona.
Living in the U.S. also is a change — a change he seems to be enjoying.
Of all the foods he’s tried during his short time in Florida, he said eggs Benedict is his favorite.
When a writer kidded with him to be careful not to eat too much food, like some sports writers, Hezonja offered a quick quip.
“Yeah,” he said. “But practice. You stay home!”
Again, Hezonja smiled.
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jrobbins@ orlandosentinel.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/ magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.