Despite his very brief stint as a member of the New York Knicks, forward Mario Hezonja had already drawn criticism by a former scout and executive Clarence Gaines Jr., who was critical of his defense. Hezonja responded with his best outing yet, an 18-point performance on 8-of-16 shooting while engaging in a physical battle on the block against Milwaukee Bucks talisman Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“He responded to the last game and what we went through and what I tried to get across to him,’’ said head coach David Fizdale after the game, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. “He played an excellent game. I got on him pretty tough in the last game and didn’t bring him back. He dove into getting better. He cleared his head.”
Hezonja had a bright debut during a rousing 126-107 win over the Atlanta Hawks, scoring 15 points, but ultimately Fizdale'd out in the next two games, playing only 10 and 13 minutes respectively.
Gaines claimed Hezonja had been bypassed by Fizdale because of his porous defense, but his 30 minutes on the floor on Monday told a completely different story.
“Social media, man,’’ Hezonja said in response to Gaines' comments. “I don’t take it serious at all. Funny stuff. I’m not much on Twitter at all. I actually was on the plane. I’m not a guy who spends a lot of time on social media. I’m not like Enes [Kanter]. I don’t give a damn about social media. My season is the focus, not the B.S. on social media.”
Hezonja had three steals in the season-opener and another two last night against the Bucks, proving he can be a factor when given ample minutes to prove his worth to the team.
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