Mario Hezonja Has Credentials to Build Dark-Horse Rookie of the Year Resume

Mario Hezonja's debut season with the Orlando Magic will be all kinds of fun.

Maybe it will even be fun enough to help the 20-year-old Croatian swingman capture the NBA's 2015-16 Rookie of the Year award.

His game is as aesthetically pleasing as that of any player in this year's freshmen field. He's equal parts deadeye sniper and explosive slasher, with copious amounts of craftiness, bravado and courage mixed into his roundball recipe.

"He has star power written all over him. Much has been made of Hezonja's shooting—and it's a strength—but Hezonja is the total package," wrote Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix. "He can take it to the basket, he can finish at the rim; he wants to dunk on opponents."

Notice the word choice there. Mannix doesn't talk about Hezonja's ability to posterize opponents, but rather his desire to do so.

Hezonja played 49 minutes over two games at the Orlando Summer League. That was all the time he needed to prove himself as a rim-rocking menace and snatcher of interior defenders' souls.

There is flash, fire and, most importantly, function in his game. He boasts the creativity of a young Manu Ginobili, the ruthlessness of Kobe Bryant and the showmanship of a street-baller.

"He loves to trash talk, constantly yapping to opponents," wrote George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel. "He loves to showboat after three-pointers. Rim-hangs after dunks. And he absolutely never passes up the opportunity to windmill or a double clutch on a dunk."

That style can't be played without supreme confidence, the belief that being the best is less of a dream than it is an obtainable goal. Hezonja has it in spades.

Self-assurance seeps out of his pores. Just digest the following quote he gave to Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti last summer (via Sportando's Hrvoje Vujanic):

"

Respect? No, I never had respect to anybody on a basketball court. I heard about: "If they smell blood, you get eaten." I'm not like that. I don't care. Whether it's a veteran or a young player standing in front of me I always have the same goal. I want to run over everybody.

"

Cocky or confident depending on your perspective, Hezonja's words were even more bold than they sound. Prior to those remarks, he had just completed a 2013-14 campaign where he averaged just 3.8 points and 9.7 minutes in 34 games with Barcelona.

Granted, the playing time wasn't a reflection of his ability—"most young players in the Spanish ACB don't spend an inordinate amount of time on the court," Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal explained—but that's still a striking statement for someone as young and unproven as Hezonja.

His approach might not be for everyone, but it won't matter if his talent speaks louder than his words.

"The 20-year-old from Croatian has been called by some the cockiest member of the NBA Draft class of 2015," wrote NBA.com's Fran Blinebury. "But you know what they say about it not being bragging when you can back it up."

Hezonja is going to bring a lot of heat on himself, but who's to say he can't handle it? He capped his first summer-league performance with a game-winning dagger from distance.

Even though he had to play a limited role with a veteran-laden Barcelona team, Hezonja still found ways to impress. Last season, he averaged 13.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per 36 minutes, while hitting 45.7 percent from the field and 37.9 percent outside. He buried at least one three-pointer in 32 of his 54 games between ACB and Euroleague play, and he had at least three three-pointers seven different times.

"We think he has a lot of firepower offensively and also the ability to defend as well based on his athleticism and ability to move around the floor," Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. "We see him as a dynamic player."

That word "dynamic" fits Hezonja perfectly. Merriam-Webster defines the term as: "always active or changing; having or showing a lot of energy; of or relating to energy, motion, or physical force."

Active and energetic certainly apply here. Hezonja has that Ginobili-type trait where he's liable to erupt at any moment. As for physicality, that's not an issue for Hezonja either. 

"He doesn't back down from physical play," Magic assistant coach Monte Mathis said, per Blinebury. "He'll dive on the floor. He'll do all those hard-nosed things."

Hezonja has a chance to be special. "Few international players we've ever covered enjoy the same clear-cut NBA upside," wrote Draft Express' Matt Kamalsky.

But the Rookie of the Year award isn't handed out based on potential. Production is needed to capture the hardware, and that's why Hezonja won't start the season near the front of the pack.

Hezonja's opportunity in Orlando is hard to read.

On one hand, the Magic are desperate for perimeter shooting. They finished the 2014-15 campaign tied for 20th in threes per game with 6.8. Without proper spacing, Nikola Vucevic doesn't have enough room on the low block, and slashing opportunities are limited for Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton.

But this roster is flush with young talent, a lot of which could block Hezonja's early path to playing time. While he could play either the shooting guard or small forward positions, both have obstacles. Oladipo and Evan Fournier already split minutes at the former, and the latter is occupied by the likes of Tobias Harris, Aaron Gordon and Maurice Harkless.

The Magic won't bury Hezonja on the bench, but they'll have to figure out how to work him in with what they already have.

Other Rookie of the Year candidates won't face that dilemma.

The Los Angeles Lakers should give D'Angelo Russell all the minutes he can handle. Karl-Anthony Towns seems primed for a major role for the same Minnesota Timberwolves team that has reigning award-winner Andrew Wiggins. The offense-starved Philadelphia 76ers should force-feed Jahlil Okafor touches. Emmanuel Mudiay could grab the reins if the Denver Nuggets ever part with Ty Lawson.

Playing time can be a significant factor in this race. Only two freshmen have ever collected the prize without logging at least 30 minutes a night—Mike Miller in 2000-01 (29.1) and Tom Heinsohn in 1956-57 (29.9)—and the past 10 winners have averaged close to 36 per game.

Hezonja won't get that kind of run. Given his need for seasoning and Orlando's depth, the rookie could work out of a reserve role for the foreseeable future.

But that won't force him out of this race. It just gives him a smaller margin for error than his competitors. He must maximize the minutes he gets with both efficiency and electricity. As ESPN's Fran Fraschilla noted, the second part of that equation won't be a problem:

"He can catch fire from anywhere, so there will be some nights where he looks like the best rookie in the league," wrote Bleacher Report's Daniel O'Brien.

String enough of those nights together and voters might be willing to overlook Hezonja's raw numbers being a little lighter than others'.

Like most 20-year-olds, he could improve his consistency on both ends of the floor. But he's talented enough to make that happen, perhaps sooner rather than later if he claims a prominent rotation spot out of the gate.

Hezonja's first NBA go-round won't lack for excitement. If he couples that style with substance, this current dark horse could look like a favorite by season's end.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.

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