Mario Hezonja is at a crossroads in his career – returning to the NBA or continuing his dominance in the EuroLeague?
When we talk about the best EuroLeague players, Mario Hezonja’s name almost always appears at the top of every list. The ace from Dubrovnik has experienced almost everything in his career. From being a young hope of Croatian basketball to maturing in Barcelona, moving to the NBA, and returning to the EuroLeague. It can be said that he has seen it all. From minor roles in average NBA teams to starring roles in the most successful European club of all time.
Mario Hezonja is in the absolute prime of his career at 29 years old. Physically stronger and more prepared than ever. His mindset (a problem that troubled him earlier in his career) finally seems to be in the right place. A unique character who has never hesitated to express his opinion, he is playing the most mature basketball of his career, and offers this summer will not be lacking.
Although he finished in the second EuroLeague team this season, it is clear that Real Madrid’s roster includes 15 equally quality players with no classic team leader like Mike James in Monaco, for example. Hezonja could have MVP-level numbers in any EuroLeague team, guaranteeing him a spot in the first EuroLeague team as well as other awards. He proved this in Unics Kazan.
Real Madrid is a completely different story. In a perfect system, only a few manage to exist. Those who are capable of setting aside their ego because the team always comes first. And in such a “restrained” role, Hezonja was the team’s leading scorer (14.0 points), fourth rebounder (4.5 rebounds), second most efficient three-point shooter (45%), and fourth in minutes played (22.9 minutes) in the EuroLeague this season.
Mario Hezonja is currently at a career crossroads. The question arises, where will he go in the prime of his career? In Real Madrid, he has finally proven that he can be part of a system, even though many claimed he was uncontrollable. He almost won two EuroLeague titles in a row, and reached the pinnacle of basketball. He is a leader and successor to Bojan Bogdanovic in a new era of the Croatian national basketball team. The keys are in his hands.
Real Madrid allegedly cannot offer him what he demands
Real Madrid allegedly cannot offer him what he demands, and Panathinaikos emerges as the first option. The team from Athens was his first European stop after an unsuccessful NBA tour. He quickly bonded with the “green” fans and to this day, their mutual love is evident through social media. Panathinaikos is returning to the European elite after more than a decade. Club president Dimitris Giannakopoulos has decided to invest “whatever it takes” to build a new championship dynasty.
Confirmation of this is the contract extension for Kendrick Nunn, a player who has proven to be perhaps the deadliest offensive weapon in the EuroLeague this year. He’s a man who could certainly have an NBA contract but has chosen to stay in the Greek capital. That speaks volumes in itself. What could motivate Hezonja in this case, besides his connection with the fans and the club, is the starring role. The ultimate confirmation of him as the alpha and omega of a system and a team that he would lead to the top of Europe. Along with, of course, the generous contract that Panathinaikos can offer him.
There are a few more European destinations mentioned, including Barcelona, which would make sense to some extent considering he grew up in their incubator. What cannot be known is what he is thinking. He has always been unpredictable and eccentric. That’s also why he has intrigued us all these years.
A return to the NBA is also mentioned. With what he has shown in the last three seasons in Europe, it’s certain that he would find a more concrete role than the first time he was in the NBA. However, he must be aware that there he will be far from a starring role, a leading role. The last three EuroLeague MVPs (Vasilije Micic, Sasha Vezenkov, Mike James) in the NBA have been in marginal roles or are currently in them. These are players who came with a concrete pedigree. Hezonja has it because of his NBA experience, but an experience that was quite modest.
We also don’t believe he would agree to join a team that doesn’t have playoff ambitions, if not something more. The NBA average is long behind him. He knows how things work, and he’s not interested in that. At this point, he seems like an ideal candidate for the 6th Man of the Year role on a team with championship ambitions. As a leader of the second unit.
Mario Hezonja’s playing profile is most similar to Michael Porter Jr.’s
A team that fits that description and desperately needs bench scoring? The Denver Nuggets. Their issues with a thin bench have been highlighted since the beginning of the season. After the departures of Jeff Green and Bruce Brown on the wing positions, they turned to their youth. Although they looked like great options off the bench at times, especially defensively, Peyton Watson and Christian Braun are not at that level.
What the Nuggets desperately lacked in the exhaustive series against the Minnesota Timberwolves was bench scoring. They didn’t have it. Braun’s five points in the Game 7 as the only bench points put the finishing touch on all of Michael Malone’s team’s problems.
Mario Hezonja’s playing profile is most similar to Michael Porter Jr.’s. Two tall forwards (Porter Jr. is five centimeters taller), both of shooting class, but also players who dominate with their height compared to smaller defenders in their positions. They are both “hot” shooters, meaning they hit shots in streaks. Hezonja is slightly better at pull-up jumpers and creating his own shots, while MPJ is catch-and-shoot elite. There are similarities, but there are also differences, yet in a broader context, they are wings that could complement each other perfectly.
Porter Jr. showed two faces in this year’s playoffs. In the series against the Los Angeles Lakers, he looked like the second-best player for the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 22.8 points (second on the team), 8.4 rebounds (second), shot 55% from the field (second), and 48% from three-point range (first). In the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he looked unrecognizable, plummeting to 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, shooting 37% from the field, and 32% from three-point range.
This Denver Nuggets team is far from its last word
It was precisely in those moments that the Nuggets missed someone like Green or Brown. Due to defensive duties on Anthony Edwards, Christian Braun had the opportunity to finish clutch plays, while Porter Jr., due to inconsistency, was left on the bench. Mario Hezonja would actually be ideal in those moments where he could bring more to the Nuggets.
Jamal Murray completely lost his three-point shot in these playoffs, Porter Jr. couldn’t “breathe” against Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Nikola Jokic forced it while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had to settle for scraps. Outside shooting and bench scoring were desperately lacking for the Nuggets in this series. Mario Hezonja brings both to the table for them.
Considering they played the entire season with a modest bench and still finished second in the highly competitive West, and were on the brink of reaching the Western Conference Finals (having a 20-point lead in the third quarter of Game 7), it seems like this Nuggets team is far from its last word.
A small addition would bring them closer to a championship season, and Hezonja perfectly fits into that role with his profile. Hezonja has now shown how he can fit into a system, demonstrated how he can be a key cog in a championship team, and as such, he has all the prerequisites to join a team that sorely lacks his qualities.
In the Nuggets, he would play for the minimum (he could get $2.4 million for the season, in Real Madrid he plays for $2.5 million, and Panathinaikos can reportedly offer a staggering $7 million per season), even though he could comfortably get a contract on par with Vasilije Micic (3 years/$23 million). Observing Hezonja since his return to Europe, I doubt he has the desire to join a team without championship ambitions.
The NBA enticed him in his younger days, as it does with every young talent, but he left disappointed, and his statements after leaving didn’t express much regret. Hezonja is finally aware of himself, aware of what he can do, and doesn’t feel the need to prove himself to anyone.
Porter Jr. has been mentioned in recent days as the first option in case the Nuggets make changes. However, this is unlikely to happen because this team was really on the brink of reaching the Western Conference Finals. On the other hand, as long as Jokic is the core of the team, it is believed that the team’s axis will not change.
Caldwell-Pope can use the player option this summer, which is worth $15 million per season, and it is believed that several teams will offer him more, considering his age. An interesting summer lies ahead for the Nuggets’ office as they build the team. The job is very flexible, and even the smallest mistakes are not forgiven, as was the case before this season when they turned to younger players.
From Hezonja’s perspective, Panathinaikos seems like an ideal fit. It’s a club with which Hezonja has publicly expressed his affection, Greeks are similar to Croats in mentality, and Panathinaikos seems to be slowly returning to its former glory. Most importantly, no one can offer him money even close to what the Greek “greens” can.
However, sports ambition is another matter. Hezonja might be most tempted by a call from a championship-contending team. If at the end of his career he has both an NBA and a EuroLeague title next to his name, he would find himself among the elite names of only 13 players in the history of basketball. These are all speculations because with Mario Hezonja, it’s truly unknown which direction he’s thinking.