June 19, 2015
Unlike the other Euro projected to be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Mario Hezonja actually plays for a good team in the Spanish ACB. While Kristaps Porzingis has both feet on American soil and is reportedly rocketing up draft boards, Hezonja is preparing to face Rudy Fernandez and Euroleague champion Real Madrid in a best-of-five El Clásico final series.
Comparing Hezonja to someone like D’Angelo Russell is extremely tricky. Not only do you have to account for the difference in levels (college vs. professional) and style of play (American vs. European), but there’s also the important question of role. If you don’t play the specific way the coaches want you to at Barcelona, you don’t play. This all would be so much easier if Hezonja was handed the keys to the kingdom at, I don’t know, Indiana this past season. The draft is damn hard, fellow hoop junkies. Damn hard.
Despite having to play a role coming off the bench for one of Europe’s best teams, Hezonja’s confidence is still palpable just from reading about him. In fact, even The Iron Sheik would have trouble humbling this man. How about this quote from Kevin O’Connor’s scouting report over at SB Nation?
Hezonja was asked earlier this year if he went to go see soccer legend Lionel Messi play for FC Barcelona. He responded: "Let Messi come to see me."
Hezonja possesses both the swag and playing style to become an Internet sensation once he starts playing in the NBA. For those reasons, there has already been a groundswell of support for him on Sixers Twitter, which is why I think it’s only fair that he should henceforth be known as “The People’s Champ.” Well, until the draft anyway.
Hezonja presents an interesting résumé for decision makers to ponder. Here’s an ultra-confident kid (which can be both a blessing and a curse) that makes threes, throws down highlight reel dunks, and is currently getting major minutes for a loaded team in maybe the second-best domestic basketball league in the world. There’s a lot to like here.
Before we get to the likes and dislikes, when will Vegas accept my “Croatia will medal in basketball at the 2020 Olympics” prop bet? Jerry Colangelo is already losing sleep over trying to stop the 3-4 pick-and-roll Super Mario and The Homie Dario are going to be running to perfection in Tokyo. Just you wait.
• Shootahhhhh. Hezonja can shoot the eyes out of the basketball, and he is capable of doing so in a variety of ways (spot-up, off screens, off the dribble). A major part of the reason I feel his floor as an NBA player is pretty high is due to his ability to spot-up on the weak side and drill jumpers if the defense cheats off him too much. His solid form, high release, and good balance ensure that he’ll remain a top-notch shooter for the rest of his career, which will always be valuable in the modern game.
• For the sake of the “Dunkwatch” feature in my game recaps, I pray the Sixers draft Hezonja. At 6-foot-8, he’s an elite, explosive athlete that has the ability to not only dunk, but dunk on people in games. From a defensive standpoint, his problems generally have to do with inattentiveness and other team issues. When Hezonja is locked in on that end of the floor, he can lock down. He’d fit in well with the new NBA trend of teams trying to assemble versatile defenders who can switch liberally and guard multiple positions.
• Most of his weaknesses (maybe all except one) are things that he can theoretically be coached out of, like bad shot selection and defensive lapses. If you’re confident in his character and ability to be coached, there’s less work to do here from a skill-level standpoint than most prospects.
• A couple of years ago, I came up with something called a “swing skill” when writing about Michael Carter-Williams. It’s a made-up term defined as “the skill — whether it's shooting, passing, rebounding, defense, or something else — that's development is most crucial to a high-upside player's career. It's the skill that can swing a player from boom to bust, or vice versa.”
Let’s not think of Hezonja’s ball-handling as swing skill in terms of boom or bust, but maybe it’s the difference between him initiating offense in crunch time on a contender or being relegated to off-ball shooter/secondary playmaker duty. When he sees a clear path to the basket, he can get there with a quick first step no problem. The problem is that there’s almost never a clear path to the basket in the NBA. Hezonja is a little reminiscent of Andrew Wiggins in this regard.
• Chip Kelly would take one look at the reports on this guy and pass because he doesn’t check off the culture box. To put it lightly, Hezonja is temperamental, but a fiery streak is in the eye of the beholder. If the edge that he plays with is properly channeled, here’s an extremely competitive guy that you’d love to go to war with in the playoffs.
• From his DX scouting video: Hezonja’s 1.6 free-throw attempts per 40 minutes pace adjusted is the worst mark of the site’s Top-100 prospects. Whatever the reasons for that (ball-handling, shot selection, role in structured offense), a player with his athleticism should at least be average at getting to the line.
I like Hezonja quite a bit. Outside of Karl-Anthony Towns, I wouldn’t be stunned if he turns out to be the best player in this draft class. If the Sixers also feel the same way, there’s an argument to be made for trading back a few spots to select him if there’s a team in love with Russell, Jahlil Okafor, or Kristaps Porzingis. What specific deal would be palatable to both sides (Aaron Gordon + 5 for 3?), I’m not sure.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
