Making his Croatian A1 League debut for KK Dubrovnik shortly after his 14th birthday in 2009 and staking his claim as one of the future stars of the European game at the 2011 Jordan Brand International Game, if it feels as if Mario Hezonja has been on the NBA Draft radar for an eternity, it's because he has. Identified as a potential lottery pick very early in his career, but opting not to enter his name in the draft in 2014, the first year he was eligible to do so, the stars appear to have aligned for the athletic Croatian swingman as he went public with his intention to declare for the 2015 NBA Draft on April 23rd.

Hezonja is one of the most intriguing talents in this draft class, showing an impressive blend of athleticism and shooting ability while carving out a role off the bench for FC Barcelona in the Euroleague and ACB, the top leagues in Europe. Signing a seven year deal with the Spanish powerhouse prior to the 2012-2013 season, Hezonja served as the primary scorer on Barcelona's 2nd team in the LEB Gold during his first year in Spain amid sporadic appearances for the club's 1st team in mop up duty. Averaging only 9.6 minutes per-game playing for Barcelona's senior team a year ago and 15.5 this year, Hezonja's talent has shined brightly at times over each of the last two seasons, as he's exploded for a number of big scoring games while playing an otherwise modest role.

Standing 6'8 with a decent wingspan and a solid frame that could continue to fill out over time, Hezonja has outstanding size for a shooting guard. He's also an effortless athlete who runs the floor exceptionally well, has nice quickness, and can finish plays above the rim, ranking among the most impressive physical specimens we've seen among European prospects in recent memory.

Besides his physical attributes, the most appealing part of Hezonja's game is his offensive skill-set, which has helped him earn minutes, albeit inconsistently, for one of Europe's premier teams. Combining supreme confidence with tremendous fluidity and coordination, Hezonja's offensive game starts with his jump shooting ability both when spotting up and running off of screens within set plays. He shoots the ball with an effortless, high release point that will translate nicely to the NBA three-point line in time.

Connecting on 39.6% (57/144) of his attempts from beyond the international line on the year. including an 8/8 performance against Manresa in the ACB on February 1st, the Croatian swingman is capable of running very hot from the perimeter, but also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and attack off the dribble if the defense closes out too aggressively.

Though 60% of Hezonja's field goal attempts are three-pointers, one of the highest marks of any player in our mock draft regardless of league, and he has scored a fantastic 1.34 points per spot up possession according to Synergy Sports Technology, Hezonja's potential at the NBA level extends well beyond his talents as a set shooter, even if that's an area the team drafting him will hope he can contribute in early on.

A capable ball handler, Hezonja also flashes the ability to create his own shot, notably as the ball handler in the pick and roll. His ability to explode past the defense with his strong first step off the dribble make him a threat to get to the rim, and he has a bit of shake to his floor game as well, showing the ability to use step backs to create space for his jump shots. Making 42% of his pull-up jump shots and finishing at a 62% clip around the rim, Hezonja's scored efficiently in a variety of ways this season.

On top of his overall offensive skill level, Hezonja's athleticism also allows him impact the game in a variety of areas. He's a target to cut back-door for lob passes thanks to his leaping ability, and he runs the wings exceptionally hard in transition. Though he isn't a particularly consistent defender, he can make contributions when he's focused with his terrific quickness and size. He has some truly impressive moments defensively playing scrappy, energetic one-on-one defense, shadowing his man running off of screens, and getting in the passing lanes thanks to his speed and anticipation. Hezonja's combination of athleticism, instincts, and talent allow him to contribute at in a wide variety of ways, which is part of the reason his upside is nothing short of tantalizing in the eyes of NBA decision-makers.

http://www.draftexpress.com/#ixzz3bANVVphV

Now let's look at some minuses.
1. He travels, a lot. That's not gonna fly in the NBA and I suppose those habits are hard to break since they are in his muscle memory at this point. Well, you never know, maybe he can work on that.
2. He palms the ball a bunch. Heck, you can see it as a cover for his second video. Not good, but that can be adjusted.
3. There is talk of him being immature off the court. He complains , pouts, has attitude issues. Not sure what to make of that, some of the best players weren't angels off the court.

If he is taken lower than 5th it's a good deal. Lover than 8th and it's a steal and a wrap. He is the 2nd best two way player in this draft after Towns and he shares that place with Winslow. While he is better on offense, Winslow is better at defense, but overall it's close. Can he be had at 14? I doubt he makes it past the top 10 and that's only because he is an Euro, otherwise he would be in the top 5 discussion.

crzymdups wrote:

ramtour420 wrote:Ok, what do we have here. A terrific shooter who possesses Curry-like range on his shot and will have no problem adjusting to the NBA range, a crafty ball handler, a first-tier athlete, pretty much as good of a shooter as Russel is while being a better defender. His footwork is solid, he runs the floor and can create on the break with the best of them and he fights for the ball, a real competitor. He is a force to behold on offense , uses some nice hesitation moves and change of direction, has a variety of moves around the hoop and is an incredible finisher. He can thread the needle with his pass, can create his own shot as well as run plays. Damn, he is for real, as good or better than any guard in this draft. A starting SG in any system. He is Croatian( Evil, this is gonna be your boy right here, I feel so happy for you 👍)

Now let's look at some minuses.
1. He travels, a lot. That's not gonna fly in the NBA and I suppose those habits are hard to break since they are in his muscle memory at this point. Well, you never know, maybe he can work on that.
2. He palms the ball a bunch. Heck, you can see it as a cover for his second video. Not good, but that can be adjusted.
3. There is talk of him being immature off the court. He complains , pouts, has attitude issues. Not sure what to make of that, some of the best players weren't angels off the court.

If he is taken lower than 5th it's a good deal. Lover than 8th and it's a steal and a wrap. He is the 2nd best two way player in this draft after Towns and he shares that place with Winslow. While he is better on offense, Winslow is better at defense, but overall it's close. Can he be had at 14? I doubt he makes it past the top 10 and that's only because he is an Euro, otherwise he would be in the top 5 discussion.

he shot 38% from the euro 3pt line. he average 7pts a game. i think he's being greatly overrated. i think bringing an immature kid into the pressure cooker of the garden would be a disaster.

d'angelo russell shot 41% from three and reminded me a lot more of steph curry for shooting.

i am normally not opposed to euro players, but i think you guys are severely overrating Hezonja and Porzingis. they seem miles away from being able to contribute.

Winslow and WCS and Russell have played and excelled on the big stage already and to me translate much better to NBA positions. Hezonja is a weird tweener. is he a two or a three? is he really laterally quick enough to guard NBA shooting guards?

If you look at his range it's much further out than Russell's. Yes , Russel will likely be a somewhat better shooter, maybe. I say that because Russel, as we know spends a lot of time preparing and practicing and studying his competition. Russel is more likely to be the next Kobe/MJ, as unlikely as that is. That's as far as we know, because frankly none of us have watched this guy as much as Russel. Unless I am wrong and someone else has watched him more than I have which is all of the two videos posted in this thread.😉

Still the Knicks need either a PG or dominate big man

Cartman718 wrote:other than 1 block and playing the passing lane a couple of times... i saw 0 defense in those videos

A legit concern, but you watch the highlights of guys like this and you will generally not see much D because there is so much to see on the offensive end. Kind of a Euro-Maravich, maybe Rick Barry, perhaps, with more athleticism- you know this guy has been watching a lot of American BB over the years.

One of the talent evaluators, not sure who, said he is the only player with a legit shot of winning the 3 pt shooting contest and the dunk contest.

You figure that it is all about consistency, desire, decision making, and staying under control with this guy, but he seems to have the ability to be a star, wherever he plays. Seems like he could be the most athletic player ever to come out of Europe...no?

Wonder about his toughness, though. You know that NBA players would rough him up- how would he respond?

For what it is worth, one talent evaluator said that his team this year has cut down his playing time since they realized he was definitely leaving for the NBA.

Has a classic, and more pure stroke than Russell, despite another poster's comment. No reason why he can't shoot the 3 at a 40% clip over here if he doesn't force his shots.

This is a guy who might really impress a team in workouts to the point where they fall in love and draft earlier than expected. If he can play some D and play under relative control, he will make some team very happy in a few years, and maybe even sooner.

CrushAlot wrote:Someone on draftnet's forum is speculating that Hezonja will be Philly's pick but that they will stash him in Europe for a year and bring him over with Saric.

If Saric can play at the 3 and Hezonja the 2, if you have Noel at the 4 and Embiid at center you have a team that his just waiting for a PG, maybe a move experienced orchestrator who can enhance all this talent.

I think they could do this if the Lakers take Russell at #2 and they did not feel Mudiay was the real thing, but I still think they are looking at Russell.