Mario Hezonja throws down monster dunk vs. Thunder in Summer League

Heading into the 2015 NBA draft, the book on top prospect Mario Hezonja was that he was supremely confident in both his abilities and his athleticism. "Confident" is a softener, actually; folks who'd scouted the Croatian swingman as he plied his trade at Barcelona of Spain's ACB (and those who followed the reports as they made their way across the Atlantic) said he was flat-out cocky, the type of dude who calls opponents' ankles fragile goods and says he wants "to run over everybody" whenever he steps on the court.

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The 20-year-old wing, selected by the Orlando Magic with the fifth overall pick in June's draft, sure seems to have brought that hard-charging attitude with him to the NBA's Orlando Summer League, judging by this monster finish during the Magic's Monday meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder:

After taking a pitch above the 3-point arc on the right wing, the 6-foot-8 Hezonja dipped his shoulder, turned the corner and made a beeline for the bucket. He created just enough separation from defender Levi Randolph to gain the lane and elevate before reaching back and tomahawking a right-hand flush through some stiff contact from Richard Solomon, earning the would-be shot-blocker a noticeable staredown after the whistle blew.

"He doesn't back down from physical play," Magic assistant coach Monte Mathis told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. "He'll dive on the floor. He'll do all those hard-nosed things."

Here's a look at Hezonja cocking the hammer from the baseline, courtesy of the Magic:

Sometimes Hezonja's aggression gets the best of him, though, as was the case on a pair of attempted fourth-quarter slams that didn't end quite as successfully as the one we just watched:

That typified an up-and-down day for Hezonja, who turned heads with his quickness, hops and attacking mentality, but also struggled to find his touch from the floor. He finished with 14 points on 6-for-16 shooting, missing seven of his nine 3-point attempts (after drilling a game-winning triple in his first Summer League appearance) and committing four turnovers in 25 minutes of playing time as the Magic's "Blue" squad — Orlando's fielding two teams in the summer session, Blue and White — fell to the Thunder, 73-65.

"I missed everything and I was terrible," Hezonja said after the game, according to John Denton of the Magic's team website. "But the first thing that bothers me is that I was unable to help my teammates to get the win. The rest will come."

And, if the early returns are any indication, they will come loudly, in no uncertain terms and without equivocation, whether there's a shot-blocker in front of the rim or not.

"You have to fight through the contact," Hezonja said, according to Denton. "In this league there are some heavy guys out there and everybody is quicker and more athletic, so I have to work on myself to improve."

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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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