Overview
As the 2015 NBA Draft approaches, we’ll be taking a look at the top prospects in this year’s class to gain a sense of what the Phoenix Suns should do with their pick. Today, we’ll be taking a look at Mario Hezonja.
At 6’8″, 200 pounds, Mario Hezonja possess excellent size for an NBA shooting guard prospect, although some have theorized he could play the 3 depending on the team that drafts him. Either way, Hezonja has two-way potential that makes him very exciting, not to mention he is incredibly confident in his own abilities.
In fact, when Hezonja was asked about the respect he has for opponents by a Croatian Paper, he gave this gem of an answer:
“Respect? No. I never give respect to anybody on a basketball court,” Hezonja said. “I want to run over everybody.”
Air Alamo
Cocky or confident, call it what you like, but Hezonja has done a solid job backing up his talk so far. He currently plays for FC Barcelona in the best league in the world (outside of the NBA of course), and he absolutely showed out in one of his last games with the team, which happened to be Game 1 of the ACB finals.
Hezonja scored 18 points, knocking down his first five three-pointers, before missing a desperation three later in the game. And while that performance was certainly not typical of Hezonja, who averaged fewer than 10 points per game across all competition last year, it also wasn’t typical for any player ever.
Hezonja became the youngest player to score 18 points in an ACB finals game, and it definitely brought him some extra attention, at least momentarily. However, like just about everyone in this draft, he isn’t a perfect prospect by any means.
Hezonja is projected to be taken anywhere from fourth to 10th, although it seems like Denver (at No. 7) may be the most likely outcome. But then again, you never really know how things are going to fall into place, so it’s never a bad idea to be informed about a guy like Super Mario, just in case he does slide on draft day.
Here’s a look at Mario Hezonja’s 2015 draft profile.
Next: Strengths