GAME THREAD: WIZARDS @ MAGIC

[Franchero MVP 391]

[Captain 24]

I was there last night. Mario was terrible in the first half, missing one wide open shot after another. Fortunately he played great in the 4th when it was most needed, and if game balls are handed out I believe he should get the one for last night's win. On the other hand, who was supposed to be guarding Morris on the last play?

That was supposed to be Peyton but if you go back and watch him carefully Gortat actually grabbed Peyton by the arm and held him

[Franchero MVP 391]

That was supposed to be Peyton but if you go back and watch him carefully Gortat actually grabbed Peyton by the arm and held him

 

Yeah that was Gortat's like 11th moving screen

[Ibn Battuta 127]

Yeah that was Gortat's like 11th moving screen

 

Glad we got the win! Low scoring affair though.

[Ibn Battuta 127]

Better to beat the bad teams than to be one.

 

We have to beat those teams for us to make the playoffs. The Wiz will be competing with us for that spot.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Looked like we moved hezonja a significant amount while he was off ball. I wonder if that had an impact on his decisiveness. Not necessarily putting the ball in his hands a lot but still giving him a bunch of things to do to keep his brain working.

 

And that also simplified his reads. Come off a curl, shoot or pass, don't sit there and think

[jec 427]

We have to beat those teams for us to make the playoffs. The Wiz will be competing with us for that spot.

 

Exactly. This playoff drought is getting embarrassing.

[magicjed23 12]

I'm amazed how many on this board think Hezonja is playing terrible simply because he barely misses shots. He contributes in different ways. We are developing him as a two-way player. He has had several 3's wiped away because moving screens, and as bad as he shoots lately, he still makes at least one shot and usually two. He is always out there with others who typically opt to go one-on-one and are reluctant to swing the ball.

 

I really think he could be used better. Vogel just has to find the best way to use him. Because the way Gordon plays, for example, he gets the same production as a starter as a he would coming off the bench. But, obviously Hezonja needs a specific role that keeps him active, and until he finds a comfort zone, he needs someone who is good enough that a defense keys on them or at least respects them. and who doesn't try to do things that are too difficult instead of moving the ball, to be on the court with him. At the very least he needs Payton, Fournier, Vuc, or Gordon with him, and preferably 2 of them or more. Hezonja sees the court well and he passes well. But, often playing with back ups he never gets it back, even when he gets open and should. Something else I see is when players make a play on defense, they often are given the ball on offensive, it seems to me Hezonja doesn't get the ball after a good play.

 

Those of us who have seen Croatia games know what Mario can do. He is often the catalyst that helps turn games around. He is also good with the ball in his hands instead of just spotting up, like Turkoglu was. When active he becomes more aggressive and when forced to pass he slips to open areas where he can spot up and he seems to shoot better when he gets the ball right as he spots up like Peja Stoyakovic did. He is also decent coming off curls and screens like Peja . Peja became very good at those things over his career. Mario has a similar skill set with athleticism like American players. Hezonja will realize these skills if we give him time. His defense improves the more he plays, and he needs a summer in Orlando to work on his whole game and get some moves that are effective versus and that take advantage of NBA athleticism.

 

He is not as far away as it seems. But, the nuances of the NBA take time and good coaching to learn. The more successful international players that have had success early are typically big men that could shoot from distance and handle the ball, that is part of why Rob wanted Porzingis so bad (But, we would have been gouged and stripped of any real chance at young assets just to move one spot, assuming Phil would even listen). International players who play guard and small forward has always taken time, unless they played in college here. The two I mentioned also came from one organization, who had a superstar big man and all-star quality PG.

 

I think we might have hit on something last night and we should go back to that. You could see the elation in Mario's face and demeanor after hitting a couple shots. He definitely has taken his struggles to heart. But, if we get him focus on what worked and keep allowing him to doing those things, he will get it going. Unlike that POS Skiles who was not encouraging and demeaning, we have a coach who encourages his players and has faith in all his players, we have the right coach to get Hezonja on the correct path.