Last Week in International Prospects: Mudiay Is Getting His Minutes, Hezonja Still Isn’t
Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Each week I will be taking a look how some of the top international prospects performed in their various leagues overseas. This week focuses on the performances of two potential 2015 lottery picks in Emmanuel Mudiay and Mario Hezonja.
Emmanuel Mudiay
Season statistics: 19.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.8 steals on 46.3% FG and 47.1% 3PT
Mudiay still isn’t starting for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, but that isn’t keeping him from getting any playing time. He’s currently second on the team in minutes per game with 33.6.
Last Thursday, Mudiay put up 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists in his team’s 123-116 win over Foshan. Two days later, he was back at it again scoring 24 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in a 120-110 victory over Sichuan. Only six games into his professional career, Mudiay’s numbers are looking pretty great. He’s clearly adapted quickly to the team’s offense and is getting comfortable finding his role in it.
Points per game aside, what’s been most impressive thus far – and likely causing NBA teams to salivate – are his assist numbers. It’s sexy and shiny when a point guard puts up high scoring numbers, but it’s the ability to find teammates for easy buckets that earns them a little more respect from their coaches. Mudiay is currently tied for second in the league in assists per 36 minutes with 7.3.
As you can see in the video below, it’s all starting to look so easy for Mudiay.
Mario Hezonja
Season statistics: 2.1 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.3 steals on 87.5% FG and 0.0% 3PT
It’s tough to understand what’s going on in Barcelona where Mario Hezonja is recording only 8.3 minutes per game for FC Barca, but at least it’s consistent — Hezonja played less than 10 minutes per game last season, too.
The 6-foot-7 combo guard is currently ranked 10th in Chad Ford’s top 100, 6th in Draft Express’ rankings, and unanimous predicted top 10 pick in this summer’s NBA draft, but many were thinking this season would give him some more playing time to solidify his draft status. It’ll be interesting to see how pro scouts treat this situation while players like Justise Winslow are improving their draft stock on national televison weekly.
The 19-year-old Croatian has an amazing amount of speed and strength for his age, but is going to be asked to improve his court vision and shot selection if he wants to make a quick impact in the Association. There’s just so much raw talent present that, despite the limited visibility he’s gotten the past two seasons, he’s likely to be a flyer teams would love to take a chance on early-to-mid first round.