Mario Hezonja is showing off his play-making skills during the Knicks final games of the season. The team handed him starting point guard duties over the weekend and he has looked like a completely different player than the one who registered just a single 20-point game prior to his trial as New York’s floor general.
If the Knicks had allowed Hezonja more play-making responsibilities, perhaps the former No. 5 overall pick would be on a different team. Several contenders reached out to the Knicks about trading for Hezonja at the trade deadline, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. No deal materialized and it’s unclear what the Knicks wanted in return for the Croatia native. Had the point guard experiment occurred earlier this season, the interest in Super Mario may have been more intense.
Hezonja believes that he could have helped younger players such as Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox further develop if given more time at the one, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News relays.
“In terms of involving them and making them better, yes [I wish I played point guard more],” Hezonja said. “But then we have to understand if I get the ball, where is [Emmanuel Mudiay] going to be, where is [Dennis Smith] going to be? They have to play, too.”
The Knicks’ point guard situation will be a major storyline this season. The team reportedly plans to shop Frank Ntilikina. Coach David Fizdale hinted that Mudiay could be playing elsewhere and while Smith was the centerpiece of the Kristaps Porzingis deal, the team would have no problem shifting him to a different role if a top target such as Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker signs with the franchise.
Hezonja, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, would welcome a return to the Knicks. a league executive tells Bondy that the 24-year-old is probably looking at a contract worth part of the mid-level exception on the open market. The 2019/20 MLEs are projected to come in at $9.246MM (standard), $5.711MM (taxpayer), and $4.76MM (room). Hezonja made $6.5MM this past season.
“I’m ready to talk to [owner James] Dolan,” Hezonja said. “If he gives me that call on July 1, we’re done.”
The centerpiece in the KP trade was Cap Space.
Still embarrassing they had to attach a franchise player to create cap-room. Wonder who they’ll attach to shed whichever bad contracts they give out this offseason.
Hezonja is like… 8th guy off the bench on most contenders? Or he DNPs.
8th? He’s a solid DNP.
His season reflects that of too many of the younger players on the Knicks’ roster. He was never given an identifiable role or consistent minutes, or a clear path to either. Just another “on again, off again” piece in Fiz’s musical chair rotations. No chance of discernible development and no basis for a real evaluation. Strange in his case because there was real competition to sign him this past summer, and they used most of the MLE to do it.
Hezonja per game over the last 3 games:
37min, 25pts on 18shots, 10r, 7a, 2s, 4tov. 54% but still not making 3s.
This has to be fun to see, the 6-8 Beast at the point! Hezonja is generally out of sync with his team, but at the 1, he can set the team’s sync to be in it.
Good idea by the Knicks too, just in time for shopping.