{"id":2937,"date":"2016-12-09T21:47:17","date_gmt":"2016-12-10T02:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=2937"},"modified":"2017-06-08T02:42:19","modified_gmt":"2017-06-08T06:42:19","slug":"mario-hezonja-top-draft-pick-gone-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2016\/12\/09\/mario-hezonja-top-draft-pick-gone-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"Mario Hezonja &#8211; Top Draft Pick Gone Wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the NBA universe, 2015 may seem like a lifetime ago. So as 2016 comes to an end, we take a look back at what could have been. The <strong>2015 NBA Draft<\/strong> produced several legitimate talents. No.1 overall pick <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/townska01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a><\/strong> is dominating on a nightly basis. <strong>Latvian<\/strong> big-man <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/porzikr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kristaps Porzingis<\/a><\/strong>, the No.4 overall pick, appears to be the future of a struggling <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/category\/knicks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>New York Knicks<\/strong><\/a> franchise. Towns and Porzingis are clearly future stars in the association. Now we could sit here all day and break down this talent packed draft, but today we are focusing on one kid in particular. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hezonma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mario Hezonja<\/a><\/strong> is a talented shooting guard, out of <strong>Croatia<\/strong>. Since being drafted No.5 overall by the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/category\/magic\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Orlando Magic<\/strong><\/a>, Hezonja has struggled to make his mark in the NBA.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How did we get here?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>At the age of 17, Hezonja signed his first professional contract with <strong>FC Barcelona<\/strong>. In his first year in <strong>Spain<\/strong>, Hezonja was nominated for the <strong>FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year Award<\/strong>. An award won by future NBA center <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/valanjo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonas Valanciunas<\/a><\/strong>. However the nomination was enough to show Hezonja has tons of potential. By the 2013-14 season, Hezonja became a regular starter. 2015 was the year Hezonja made a name for himself. The talented Croatian guard put up several strong performances, including a standout game against <strong>La Bruixa d&#8217;Or Manresa<\/strong>. In an outstanding shooting display, Hezonja shot \u00a0an incredible 8-8 from beyond the arc. In his final season in Spain, Hezonja averaged 7.7 points and 2 rebounds in 22 appearances. After such an impressive year, Hezonja felt it was time to take the next step. After agreeing a buyout with FC Barcelona, Hezonja officially declared for the NBA draft.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mario Hezonja Highlights Euroleague 2014-2015 (Full HD)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0xCA5fThfQQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Born in Dubrovnik, Trained in Barcelona, Exposed in Orlando<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When you&#8217;re drafted No.5 overall, expectations are always going to be sky-high. Hezonja felt this first hand, after the Magic made him one of the top draft picks in 2015. With a wealth of international experience, Hezonja entered the league with a strong belief in himself. In fact, Hezonja was being accused of being over-confident and rather cocky. In an interview with <em><strong>Sportando<\/strong><\/em>, Hezonja made his feelings as a rookie entering the NBA very clear.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Respect?, No. I never had respect to anybody on a basketball court. I don&#8217;t care. Whether it&#8217;s a veteran or a young player standing in front of me, I always have the same goal. I want to run over everybody.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Full of confidence, a top-draft pick and ready to &#8220;run over everybody&#8221;, <em>what could go wrong?<\/em>\u00a0Hezonja would go on to play 79 games his rookie year, averaging 6.1 points in the process. Including a 19 point performance against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/category\/bucks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Milwaukee Bucks<\/strong><\/a> and a 21 point game in a win over the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/category\/bulls\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Chicago Bulls<\/strong><\/a>. Now, Hezonja&#8217;s stat line is no reason to overreact. As a young European guard, it is understandable Hezonja would need some time to adjust to the NBA game. Magic fans were likely underwhelmed by the rookie, but Hezonja would have a chance to redeem himself.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Frank Vogel Doesn&#8217;t Appear to be a Fan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This summer was one of change in Orlando in terms of both roster and personnel. The team brought in a new head coach in <strong>Frank Vogel<\/strong>, and made several roster moves through free agency and trade. Whilst the Magic were focusing on rebuilding the franchise, Hezonja was playing in the <strong>NBA Summer League<\/strong>. Averaging 13 points in just two\u00a0games might be a small sample size, but any progress was good progress for the young Croatian. When the 2016-17 season came around, a new look Magic team looked to turn the corner. Unfortunately, despite the many changes, it was not meant\u00a0to be. The Magic became the epitome of inconsistency. Starting the season 0-3, recovering to 3-3 and then falling back to 3-6, all within the first nine games.<\/p>\n<p>As the season began, it became clear that Hezonja wasn&#8217;t in Vogel&#8217;s long-term plans. Hezonja would play 16.3 minutes on average in October. This would be the most we would see of Hezonja from November on. When November began the Magic still hadn&#8217;t won a game. Hezonja was beginning to see less time on the court, even with the Magic struggling. Playing just 11.7 minutes throughout November, Hezonja was being frozen out by Vogel. The situation would only get worse.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The D-League Looms for Hezonja\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/MagicInsider\/status\/807297183670239232<\/p>\n<p>So far in December, Hezonja has seen just 8 minutes on the court. <strong>Brian K.<\/strong> Schmitz of the <em><strong>Orlando Sentinel<\/strong><\/em> reported on Friday, the Magic are now considering sending Hezonja to the <strong>D-League<\/strong>. This would be a huge blow to Hezonja&#8217;s long-term future in Orlando. The Magic are under a lot of pressure to make the playoffs this season. If Vogel wants to make a move to help the team make a playoff push, it&#8217;s very likely Hezonja could be traded. It&#8217;s difficult to fully understand\u00a0as to why Hezonja never made his expected impact in Orlando. For Hezonja, it wasn&#8217;t through lack of confidence or effort. At just 21 years old, there remains to be plenty of time for the young swingman to land on his feet and fulfill his hefty potential.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Main Image<br \/>\nBy <a class=\"extiw\" title=\"wikipedia:User:350z33\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/User:350z33\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">350z33<\/a> at <a class=\"extiw\" title=\"wikipedia:\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Wikipedia<\/a>, <a title=\"Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=18909957\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mario Hezonja is a former No.5 overall pick out of Croatia. Drafted by the Orlando Magic, Hezonja has since struggled to meet his once great potential. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":638,"featured_media":2964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,62],"tags":[606,65,132,473,96,136],"class_list":["post-2937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magic","category-nba","tag-2015-nba-draft","tag-basketball","tag-frank-vogel","tag-mario-hezonja","tag-nba","tag-orlando-magic"],"modified_by":"Ben Kerr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}