Mario Hezonja
remains a mystery to the Orlando Magic but he says he is ready to deliver on his potential.
In the first half Thursday night, Mario Hezonja reminded everyone why the Orlando Magic picked him fifth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Four times he let the ball fly. Four times he confidently swished the ball through the net.
In the second half, Hezonja fell back to earth. He wasn’t bad. But he didn’t impress, either. He attempted only one shot and missed it. He collected one rebound and didn’t have an assist.
That exemplifies the predicament the Magic face with Hezonja: Although he occasionally shows glimmers of potential, as he did in the first half, there are plenty of times when he either doesn’t make an impact on offense or struggles on de- fense.
“He’s a young player,” coach Frank Vogel said. “He’s still going to make mistakes and be figuring it out. But his minutes going up is a result of his play improving. I’m happy with what he’s been doing.”
Hezonja will have an opportunity to prove himself over the Magic’s remaining 23 games. Following the trade of Serge Ibaka, the team has committed itself to playing more small-ball lineups, with four perimeter players surrounding either center Nikola Vucevic or center