https://theathletic.com/1062560/201...-to-make-amends-and-a-difference-in-portland/ As Mario Hezonja made his way through the Trail Blazers’ practice facility on Wednesday, meeting players and employees for the first time since signing a free-agent deal with the team, he said he found himself saying the same thing over and over. “I’m sorry for last year,” Hezonja said he kept repeating. Last year, the Trail Blazers recruited Hezonja in free agency, going as far as to make an offer, but ultimately he chose the New York Knicks. “I kind of rushed,” Hezonja said. “But I made my mind up quick; I wanted to experience New York.” The Blazers’ interest in Hezonja dates back to the 2015 NBA Draft. The Blazers, with the 23rd overall pick that season, targeted him as a player worth moving up to select, but Orlando swiped him with the No. 5 overall pick. Since that initial interest, and even the flirtation last summer, there has been a significant gulf between Hezonja’s potential and his production. “I haven’t put up anything yet,” the 24-year-old said of his first four years in the NBA. “It’s fine. I will.” That type of confidence is typical for the 6-foot-9, play-making Croatian. In three seasons with Orlando and one with New York, Hezonja plays with a flair — international draft expert Fran Fraschilla once said Hezonja was the only one in his draft class who could win the 3-point contest and NBA dunk contest — but he has been plagued by turnovers, inconsistent shooting and subpar defense. The Blazers are hoping their reputation for developing young talent and their nurturing environment will be a turning point in Hezonja’s career. Already, Hezonja has noted three factors that have made him feel comfortable: He is reunited with former neighbor Jusuf Nurkic; he has a history with Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey and he is moved by the opportunity to play for the same organization that drafted Croatian legend Drazen Petrovic. “I’m really, really happy to be here,” Hezonja said. “I’ve heard a lot of positives … I’m really thankful to be here.” His relationship with Nurkic, the Blazers’ center, spawns back to their teenage days in Croatia, where they both played for the club team in Zagreb. Hezonja said they lived in adjoining buildings, adding that he could literally yell across the way to Nurkic from his place. “That’s my brother, nothing more to say,” Hezonja said. “He is super, super close to me. And he has told me great things about the city and about this team.” When Hezonja left Zagreb at age 17 to play at a higher level in Barcelona, he said Nurkic stayed in Zagreb and kept in touch with Hezonja’s family. “He is probably closer to my father than I am,” Hezonja said. Nurkic isn’t the only tie to his home country. Upon joining the Blazers, Hezonja chose to wear No. 44, the same jersey Petrovic wore in his two seasons in Portland (1989-90, 1990-91). Although Hezonja was two years from being born when Petrovic died in a car accident in Germany in 1993, he understands the significance of representing the number and jersey of the former sharp-shooting guard. Part of that understanding comes from playing under Drazen’s older brother, Aco, who coached the Croatian national team. “I asked everybody in Croatia if they have advice,” Hezonja said. “Since I started, there was all these comparisons with him. He’s obviously one of, if not the greatest, European players of all time. So just in respect for him, the journey continues in his name right now.” As a youth, he said he would pepper Aco with questions every day about Drazen. Questions about basketball. Questions about what he did outside of basketball. “So this is very special for me. I’m very glad that I can continue this for him, in his name,” Hezonja said. Signing with the Blazers also finally unites him with Olshey, who has seemingly been chasing Hezonja for the past decade. He first came on Olshey’s radar when he was 16 and playing in the 2011 Jordan Brand Classic. Hezonja is represented by Michael Tellem, whom Olshey has known since he was 12. “I’ve known Neil since a long time ago,” Hezonja said. The question now is whether the comfort in Portland, combined with the Blazers’ developmental coaching and Hezonja’s experience will translate into something special. Olshey, for one, thinks it can judging from his gushing of Hezonja in a press release announcing his signing. “Mario is a prodigiously talented player with a high ceiling and a bright future,” Olshey said in the statement. “He will have a chance to contribute immediately while we work to accelerate his development.” Hezonja says his development was stunted by “unfortunate situations” in Orlando and New York. There were coaching changes in Orlando, and vacillating philosophies in direction in New York. “Two rough situations,” Hezonja said. Through it all, opinions varied on how and where he should play. He played some small forward and power forward in Orlando and by the end of his time in New York, he was playing point guard. He said he had never played power forward until then Orlando coach Frank Vogel used him there. “I was asking Frank Vogel at the time, ‘What is this coach? I’ve never played this?”’ Hezonja said. “They test me a lot, especially in Orlando … and in New York. But I’m thankful for that.” Thankful, he says, because those experiences made him tougher. “It tells a lot about my character, that I’ve been through a lot of bad situations and bad examples, and I came out as a better person and better player,” Hezonja said. “It shows on the court.” In Portland, he says he envisions returning to his roots as a point guard, which he played as a youth. “That kind of ET role where he was the second ball-handling guy,” Hezonja said referring to former Blazer Evan Turner. He was thankful for New York coach David Fizdale, who late in last season let Hezonja play the point. In April it produced his best basketball of his NBA career, including three consecutive games of 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists followed by a triple-double (16 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists) and then a 30-point, six-rebound, five-assist game. He said he knows he will be asked to play some small forward and power forward with the Blazers, but one of the areas Portland is thin is ball handlers. The Blazers currently have Lillard, CJ McCollum and second-year player Anfernee Simons as primary ball handlers, so Hezonja’s skills could be an asset. “I will talk to Damian about that,” Hezonja quipped. In the meantime, he is soaking in his new environment and making apologies for delaying the union by a year. He said he relishes his first opportunity to play with a proven winner. “I just have to fit in,” Hezonja said. “This team was in the Western Conference finals. I’m here to help. My individual goal is to push them even further. I want to be on a successful team and surround myself with players better than myself, because that will help me. That will help me be even better and become that top-tier player eventually.”
Nice write up. I didn’t know about the Nurkic connection or the amount of time Olshey has been tracking this guy. Makes me more excited about adding him to the team.
I think it's a matter of time when he asks to be traded. He said it himself that he prefers playing center.
I wouldn't be all that surprised if he wasn't happy here and wanted out, and I'm not sure if I'd be upset about that or not.
Seems like after four days @SlyPokerDog could finally get around to correcting the spelling of Hezonja's name in the thread title. Sloppy.
But he also said he wanted to start too. As long has Nurk is here the only way he starts is PF. Plus he is a team guy I really don't he would want out. The thing he going to play both this year.
