A little over a decade ago, the Orlando Magic made Mario Hezonja the No. 5 pick in the NBA Draft. A guard/forward showing big flashes overseas, he had the skills to be one of the next big things in the league for years to come.
Hezonja's career never took off, and while he had some big moments here and there, he didn't live up to the expectations. However, some time back in the Old Continent may have been just what he needed to finally help a championship-caliber team.
The new Cleveland Cavaliers addition opened up about his role next to Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, and it didn't take long to realize how much he's changed and grown. Clearly, he's no longer the over-confident youngster who would alternate huge plays with head-scratching ones.
Mario Hezonja knows and embraces his role with the Cleveland Cavaliers
"My first reaction when I saw two or three guys around me is like this, because I never had that luxury in my entire career to have — we're talking about the mega superstars in NBA," Hezonja said. "So I told — also Don, Don was the other day explaining to me, when you ISO and now they're — I said, 'Don, if I have to ISO, you might have to pay me from your own money, and I'm here to help you.'"
That's all you want to hear from a veteran like Hezonja. He's always had the potential to be a 20+ PPG guy, and he's coming off being one of the most dominant players in Europe. Even so, he knows that won't be his reality now that he's back in the States.
He's not returning to the NBA just to prove that he could've made it there. He's back in the league to make a positive impact on a winning organization, even if that means taking one for the team and not putting up big numbers.
His attitude was often the biggest knock on him. He was a bit hot-headed, and he went off script way too often. However, the talent was there, even on defense, where he showed he could get some stops and be a sticky guy when he was locked in —just ask LeBron James.
The Cavs don't need another leading scorer. Granted, they will benefit from having another guy who, if needed, can create his own shot and make something happen from all three levels, but that's not what he's there for.
Hezonja is an intelligent player who can do all of the little things that boost a team's chances. That's precisely what made him frustrating to watch at times, as he was his own enemy. It was like the Green Goblin, masked, spoke to him and demanded he take a rash, highly contested shot.
Father Time spares no victims, but that's not always a bad thing. This new, improved, and much more mature version of Mario Hezonja might fit Kenny Atkinson's team like a glove. And just because he's proven he can be 'the man' doesn't mean he'll have to prove it in his NBA return.
He already knows that talent will take him only so far in this league, and his attitude and decision-making can send him packing as fast as he returned.
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