DETROIT — The offensive numbers are awful for Mario Hezonja since he was named the New York Knicks’ starting small forward four games ago versus Portland.
But coach David Fizdale has seen phenomenal growth in Hezonja’s defense, even highlighting the forward’s work on that side of the ball during film sessions. Hence, Fizdale has stuck with the enigmatic Croatian, who is shooting 37.7 percent.
In fact, the Fizdale gave credit to Tim Hardaway Jr. for a pep talk after he made the surprising Hezonja promotion.
Fizdale wasn’t about to touch the starting lineup as the Knicks faced the Pistons on Tuesday night at Little Caesar’s Arena — not with the club riding its first three-game winning streak since December.