Mario Hezonja has experienced a tough year. And at times it has seemed like he has lost a lot of confidence. Frank Vogel has shuttled him between positions trying to figure out the best way to use him. It has been a hard fight, especially with Hezonja missing shots.
Hezonja continued a decent run of play at power forward Tuesday, but not in the way anyone could expect. Hezonja was left in the game to guard LeBron James in the fourth quarter and actually held his own. He stripped James on one occasion and challenged his shots well. It was a great outing for Hezonja.
And that confidence bled over offensively. He started hitting a few shots — 13 points on 3-for-8 shooting — and made a nice entry pass to Damjan Rudez for a lay in late in the game. He got over confident a bit late, but that is OK. It was good to see Hezonja playing aggressively and making positive plays.