Spaceman 58 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 Once we see how he plays and fits in the rotation we can make a more informed decision but for now I have to say he was the guy i wanted most from our position in the draft. If everything we hear pans out we will all be real happy. It really looks like the Magic are putting together a very versatile roster if Skiles can turn them into a team I expect playoffs at least. Right now this seems like a real rebuild. In the words of a not so popular GM "I like this team" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeHateMe 697 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 C+/B-. I know there is a lot of Hezonja love here, but it's a very boom or bust pick. I'll give Rob credit for having balls to do it, but I want to see him actually play before professing my love for the guy. See, I don't think he is at all. I would argue Mario is one of the safer picks in the draft. Tell me one player who has prototypical size for his position, is the best shooter in his draft class, and arguably the best athlete in his draft class? Mario checks all those boxes. He's going to be a good player, the only question I have is how good will he be? He's not going to be a bust, I don't see how he could be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fultz4thewin 2,464 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 See, I don't think he is at all. I would argue Mario is one of the safer picks in the draft. Tell me one player who has prototypical size for his position, is the best shooter in his draft class, and arguably the best athlete in his draft class? Mario checks all those boxes. He's going to be a good player, the only question I have is how good will he be? He's not going to be a bust, I don't see how he could be. The risk is all based on him being foreign. If his name was Mario Johnson and he played at Marquette or Maryland he'd be in consideration for number one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShefGator2 77 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 Tough to grade because I haven't seen him play yet. Based on the on-line video, the things written about him, and his size at 6'8", Mario seems to be a perfect fit for the SF position and fills a huge need for outside shooting for the Magic. If those things prove to be true, then this was a GREAT pick. I really like Winslow. I like his toughness and athleticism and could have seen that being a great mesh with Payton and Dipo. But, I also see Winslow's height being a potential issue guarding bigger 3s and his outside shooting has not been consistent. The film I've seen of Mario looks like he's a WAY better shooter than Winslow. Again, IF Mario is really as advertised, then I think the Magic did a great job in drafting him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A Better DJ & Photographer 457 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 I voted A, then watched the video. I think the Magic did more research (literally years) on Mario than any other team, or he would have been picked top 4. The kid has played pro ball for 7 years and has the confidence of someone that knows he can make shots. This is the guy that the Magic had pegged as #1 :D We needed shooting badly and although I would have been happy with KP, I'm happier with Mario! Now if we can grab a few 4s in FA and get rid of a few guys that won't see any minutes we'll be ready to rock and roll! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skywise316 211 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 Since I couldn't be happier, I'll give it an A-. Only thing is I'm surprised we didn't try to grab some sort of a big with our second rounder. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
magicblue 315 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 Not everybody is drinking the Koolaid without seeing him play in the NBA. Again, same argument can be made about every single player drafted. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mauro Pedrosa 1,032 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 Somewhere between A and A+ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A Better DJ & Photographer 457 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 Since I couldn't be happier, I'll give it an A-. Only thing is I'm surprised we didn't try to grab some sort of a big with our second rounder. There are lots of good UFA bigs available this year! big UFAs available LaMarcus Aldridge Kevin Love Paul Millsap Amir Johnson Brandon Bass Chuck Hayes Greg Monroe Kevin Seraphin Thomas Robinson Tyler Hansbrough Jason Smith Ed Davis Jason Maxiell Marc Gasol Tyson Chandler DeAndre Jordan Omer Asik Robin Lopez Greg Monroe Brandan Wright Who do you like? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ibn Battuta 127 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 The risk is all based on him being foreign. If his name was Mario Johnson and he played at Marquette or Maryland he'd be in consideration for number one Well you know what happened with the last euro we drafted in the first round. Juss sayin bro. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Justin Jaudon 221 Report post Posted June 26, 2015 The risk is all based on him being foreign. If his name was Mario Johnson and he played at Marquette or Maryland he'd be in consideration for number one I get what you're saying here, I think. But I have to add, if his name was Mario Johnson and he played at Marquette or Maryland and he scored 6 points a game on 15 minutes, he would not be drafted. Now, that said, I don't think he would have been that ill-used in Marquette or Maryland. I think you're right that had he been in college he'd be considered for the number one pick (though I don't think his name would need to be changed). But that is the misunderstanding of most of us Americans about Spanish league basketball. I was at a party last night with my brother-in-law, a really knowledgeable American basketball guy. He hated every foreign guy picked, because none of them scored more than 10 points a game in the Spanish league with guys he believes just couldn't make it to the NBA. His opinion is literally that college basketball is a higher level of competition than the Spanish league (don't get me wrong, he loved Mudiay for whatever reason). His argument is based on the idea that the best foreign players come overseas to America if they can play in the NBA, while the American guys who can't make it in the NBA go to Europe, and that's mostly true. But the misunderstanding comes when assuming that projected talent could beat established talent. Look at it this way: the best player in college basketball in 2013-14, talent-wise, was Andrew Wiggins; he scored 16 a game in the NBA. Your belief from those numbers might be that the best players in college basketball would be decent starters on NBA rosters. But does anyone believe Andrew Wiggins would have gotten the minutes he did and the production out of those minutes if he'd been playing for a contender in the NBA? No. Does anyone believe he could have even done that well in Minnesota as an 18-year-old? Hell, no! Most people don't want to hear it, but J.R. Smith was a better player last year than Andrew Wiggins. Most people don't want to hear it, but the FC Barcelona team that Hezonja played for would have dominated Kentucky; Real Madrid would have lit them up like a damn Christmas tree. And it's not that crazy. Five years from now, those Kentucky players could come back and put the Stone Cold Smackdown on the collected best players of both teams, probably. But those Kentucky players were, this past year, a bunch of young kids playing against other young kids. Championship-contending Spanish League teams are full of guys who are established talents, mature and ready to chew up little 18-19-year old kids. They might not be star NBA players (though most would be or have proven to be solid contributors on NBA rosters), but it is commonly defended by anyone who knows the game that the worst team in the NBA could beat any college team 10 times out of 10. Why? So many reasons physical and mental. But do we think the post All-Star-Game Knicks would beat FC Barcelona or Real Madrid 10 times out of 10? No. Likely the Knicks are the better team, and they'd win a series with those Spanish teams (though, really, even that just doesn't seem right), but they would be close series'. Why? Because it would be games where both teams had established mature players who understood their roles and knew how to execute, only the American team would have (I suppose) slightly more talent. So is that like saying that Hezonja could only get 15 minutes and 5 points a night for the Knicks as a 19-year-old? Not quite. The Spanish League is weird with minutes. with everyone, even the best players. FC Barcelona, the runner-up for the championship, was led in minutes by Justin Doellman, at a whopping 22.6 per game. Real Madrid's team was led by Sergio Llull at the workhorse pace of 24.7. And this is based very much on seniority and level of commitment to staying with the team, two things Mario did not have. And really how could he? He could not have been born earlier, and he clearly wants to be in the NBA. Another thing to remember is that Spanish League teams play at an agonizingly slow pace. The most dominant team in the League (Real Madrid), scored 86 points per game. That's why good statisticians adjust Spanish League players' stats to account for minutes and pace. Finally, why did Porzingis, at a younger age, get more minutes and opportunity than Hezonja? For the same reason that Wiggins got more minutes and opportunity in Minnesota than Kawhi Leonard got as a rookie with San Antonio. Porzingis was not playing for one of the top Spanish League teams, and still he was fifth in minutes (it seems like everyone on that team played right at 20 minutes). In truth, the fact that Mario got burn at all in Real Madrid means he's special. I hope that was helpful in understanding a little bit of how Hezonja can be such a high pick with the numbers he put up in Spain. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
