I get the concerns about Hezonja's attitude, especially after what we just went thru with Kanter. Obviously I'm basing this off of limited information, so really I'm just giving an educated guess here, but from what I've heard in interviews, he seems desperate to be a main contributor on a winning team, while Kanter just seemed desperate to be THE main contributor on any team (regardless if that is what is best for the team).
There have been a few instances in which I have seen Hezonja force his own shot rather than make the extra pass to the open man, but he has been a teenager, receiving limited minutes on a competitive team, while at the same time, chasing his dream of playing in the NBA, so I can understand if he feels a sense of urgency at times to show pro scouts that he is NBA ready.
The development of a young player is greatly influenced by his environment. So long as Hezonja feels that whichever team drafted him is truly invested in him, I think that his fire & passion will become a positive thing rather than a distraction. I don't think he would have a problem with playing 15(ish) mpg in his rookie season when that's about how much pt he is receiving now in a lesser league.
If his minutes didn't increase over time, then it could potentially turn into another Kanter situation, but Hezonja appears to have the work ethic necessary to improve & force the team to give him the minutes he feels he deserves, while Kanter seemed to expect it without necessarily putting in the necessary work. I see the similarities (young, outspoken) to Kanter but Hezonja would be coming into a much better situation than Kanter did when he was drafted. The FO & coaching staff has created a stable environment/culture that didn't necessarily exist a year or two ago. Imo, we have the personnel necessary to reign in Hezonja's fire/competitiveness & turn it into a positive. He is certainly still a risk, but one that I feel is definitely worth taking.
