Mario Hezonja was taken with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic.
He was supposed to grow into a star for Orlando, the type of player you can build a team around.
Instead, Hezonja went down as mostly a draft bust. He wasn’t strong enough. He couldn’t shoot it enough.
Hezonja left the NBA without having achieved much, and it seemed that he might never return.
But this season, Hezonja is back. He’s playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers now. And he might just be better at this juncture in his career than anyone would’ve expected after his less-than-stellar NBA beginnings.
Mario Hezonja With Cavs
Hezonja actually signed a fascinating contract with the Cavs — it’s not fully guaranteed until Nov. 15.
That means the early weeks of this season functioned essentially like a tryout for Hezonja. Turns out that wasn’t a problem, though.
There’s no way the Cavaliers would part with Hezonja now. He’s crucial to what they’re doing.
On Friday night in an NBA Cup blowout win of the Philadelphia 76ers, Hezonja finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
When the ball was on the glass, he went to get it. On the offensive end, he was comfortable shooting or attacking to make plays for others.
Hezonja looks comfortable in his own skin and is clearly finding a way to access his talent that he could never quite find a path to in his first NBA stint.
Signs Showed This Was Coming
There was a good reason to believe in Hezonja upon his return to the NBA: He had been MVP in Spain’s Liga ACB.
That’s the second-best basketball league in the world, and Hezonja was its best player.
He also led Real Madrid to a EuroLeague Championship — which is a competition among the best teams from all of Europe’s top leagues, another impressive accomplishment.
The MVP award in Spain has previously been won by Luka Doncic. It’s not a meaningless award. It shows just how good a player is.
The Cavs liked Hezonja and convinced him to sign with them upon his return stateside.
It’s working out as well as anyone could’ve hoped.
Cavaliers Get Mario Hezonja Version Magic Never Got