Coach Frank Vogel put
Mario Hezonja in an interesting spot throughout Wednesday’s game. With
Jeff Greenout with back spasms, Hezonja was going to get the majority of the minutes at power forward behind Aaron Gordon. It is an odd call considering most poeple view him as more of a guard than a post player. But Vogel has remained adamant that he sees his future as a 3/4 rather than a 2/3 in the NBA.
Call this first experiment a limited success then. Hezonja was extremely active and helped space the floor better for the Magic as they got their offense moving in the first three quarters. He scored only eight points but grabbed seven rebounds. He took plenty of shots and was solid defensively on the block, guarding Marvin Williams and sometimes even Frank Kaminsky. The Hornets never really tested him as a post defender.
The problem with Hezonja tonight was he simply could not hit jumpers. He finished 3 for 12 for the game and just could not get a shot to fall. This is a make or miss league and Hezonja was missing that last critical step to finishing the game.
