5 NBA players in need of a change of scenery

Mario Hezonja, Orlando Magic

It is rare for a player taken in the top five to be a complete bust. Those players are rather memorable though — Darko Milicic, Anthony Bennett and the like. And it is tough for teams to bounce back from these misfires. Typically the teams drafting at No. 5 are the ones that need that talent infusion most.

The Orlando Magic had spent three years building up a cadre of young talent and hoped adding Hezonja would help get them closer to the top. They knew he would need some developing but figured his confidence and shooting stroke would fit well with what the team was trying to do.

Hezonja has failed to deliver, succumbing to the pressure of a young team pushing to win and facing winning expectations before it was truly ready to do so.

At this point, Hezonja cannot crack the rotation for the 13-17 Orlando Magic. His shooting percentages are poor — Hezonja is shooting 32.9 percent and 19.4 percent from beyond the arc. And Hezonja struggles mightily on defense, something you would expect from a young player.

For someone like Hezonja on a team trying to win now, it is tough to break through if he is still learning to defend and struggling to shoot. Hezonja’s mystique is a bit gutted.

There are still those true believers. Hezonja is still a very young player and he has that shooting ability in him. He just lacks confidence.

A young player like Hezonja probably needs to go to a situation with less pressure. Play for a team that is tanking or is earlier in the rebuild phase so he can play without fear of getting pulled for making mistakes.

Scott Skiles kept a tight leash on him last year and, while he improved, made Hezonja a bit too tentative. He struggled with the new coach in Vogel and he has moved on from him for the sake of winning.

Watching young players languish on the bench is always a bad thing. There has to be a place willing to give Hezonja the chance to grow.