With the No. 5 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Magic select guard Mario Hezonja from Croatia.
Mario Hezonja fits so well on this team, it’s silly. The Magic have drafted so many players recently who don’t have 3-point range, and now they have a marksman who is already used to spotting up on the perimeter. He should make Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo better, and Orlando fans should fall in love with his athleticism and his attitude.
The other player who might have made sense here was Willie Cauley-Stein, as he’s a transformative defender who could protect the rim next to Nikola Vucevic. There are health concerns about him, though, and Hezonja has real star potential.
New Magic coach Scott Skiles has said that he wants his team to start getting serious about winning next season. If they’re going to do that, they absolutely need proper floor spacing. Hezonja helps so, so much in that regard, and he could be a franchise-changer if he figures out how to draw fouls and finish with contact in the NBA.
Orlando Magic grade for selecting Mario Hezonja with the 5th pick: A Analysis: http://t.co/HEVjuT6aKO
— CBS Sports NBA (@CBSSportsNBA) June 26, 2015
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Here’s the scouting report on Hezonja from NBA Draft Expert Sam Vecenie.
"If you want star power and personality, this is your guy. Hezonja is a perfect mix of athleticism, shot-making ability and confidence. Hezonja averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per-36 minutes in the second-best league in the world this season as a 20-year-old on a near-900 minute sample. That's impressive by itself, but then you look at his skill set and wonder why he wasn't playing more. Hezonja's range of outcomes as a player is wide, but he's still worth a high pick."
