When it comes to having a huge reservoir of confidence, Orlando Magic shooting guard Mario Hezonja is Europe’s answer to Dion Waiters. Excessive confidence, however, can sometimes bite players back, and Hezonja learned of that the hard way Thursday night, when he botched running a 4-on-1 fastbreak play during the second quarter of a game against the Detroit Pistons.
Mario Hezonja’s eyes probably lit up when he saw the tiny Ish Smith as the only one defending Detroit’s basket with four Magic players running down the floor. There were so many ways in which this play could have ended on a highlight play for Orlando, but Hezonja just couldn’t pull it off.
A day after New Orleans Pelicans point guard Rajon Rondo dished out 25 dimes, Hezonja failed to even make one.
Those who are familiar with Mario Hezonja's style of play, however, must just be a little surprised of the Croatian’s inability to complete a pass, since the swingman isn’t exactly known for his unselfishness on the court. Hezonja is averaging just 1.1 assists per game so far in his career. This season, Hezonja is making just 0.8 assists per contest, and if that miffed transition play was any indication, he’s not going to finish this season with a significantly better assist numbers.