30 Teams in 30 Days: Orlando Magic
The NBA season is just thirty days away, on every single day I will drop a preview for each team with a prediction on how their season is going to go.
Offseason Report:
Signings: Chuma Okeke (Rookie), Michael Carter Williams (1/minimum), Al Farouq Aminu (3/29)
Departures: Talen Horton Tucker (Traded to Lakers on draft night), Timofey Mozgov (Stretch Provision)
The Orlando Magic have had a relatively quiet off-season in which the team had largely consolidated their play-off side from last year in the hope of improving through youth. Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon both took leaps last year and could improve even further coming into this season. The Magic handled their re-signings with skill as they managed to bring back Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross in a prompt manner.
Vucevic and Ross both seemed to improve last season as they finally found roles which suit them. Vucevic became comfortable as the lead option for the Magic as he was relied upon to score the ball inside and be proficient at dishing the ball to his team-mates. Terrence Ross was a notable surprise for many people as he seemed to excel in the microwave scorer bench role in which he contributed a fair amount of the Magic’s offence. The Magic made the correct decision in keeping these veteran players around instead of moving them on. There is always a temptation for teams to move players who do not fit the general timeline of the current squad and Orlando did well to resist this temptation. These re-signings create an environment when there is not monumental pressure placed upon young players in regards to being consistent, productive contributors.
Orlando will be focused on internal growth as they look to establish a team which is capable of winning a championship. Jonathan Isaac has a lot of promise and began to fulfil that promise last season. The defensive smarts of Isaac meant that he was one of the top wing defenders in the league and often drew a tough assignment against players like Kawhi Leonard or Giannis. The only issue regarding Isaac on the defensive end was that he was too lightweight and was bullied off his spot by bulkier players. This was a particular issue in the play-offs as it seemed like Kawhi could get to his spot whenever he wanted and Isaac could not do anything about it. Isaac has made the wise decision to put on twenty pounds of muscle so that his frame is more stout and tougher to get past defensively. I expect that Isaac will become a better player on the defensive end of the floor because of this as he will have the necessary of size and length.
The other aspect of Isaac’s game which improved was his three-point shooting. After the All-Star break, Isaac shot 38% on three-pointers which is an efficient mark from deep. If he can maintain this consistency coming into this season, it means that he is much harder to guard defensively as defenders cannot sit off him and invite the shot. Defenders have to play him tighter which means that he can then use those long strides to drive to the rim. I think that this is the next step for Jonathan, he needs to be comfortable in terms of creating off the dribble. His physical attributes already make him a tough cover but adding solid footwork will make him an elite level talent.
The Magic did not acquire this player during the off-season but he has the potential to be a difference-maker for a team which lacks top-level creativity at the guard spots. I mean no disrespect to DJ Augustin who runs the point for the Magic but he is a steady hand rather than being a player who can take over games. The Magic acquired Markelle Fultz for just Jonathan Simmons at the trade deadline as a reclamation project. Fultz had a broken jumper, a lack of confidence and a nerve condition which meant that his shoulder movements were not always controllable. It is one of the reasons why his jumpers seemed to cause Fultz pain, he was trying to force his muscles to work despite his nervous system being totally against putting up shots.
Since joining the Heat, the noise around Fultz has been incredibly quiet, a fair cry from the daily inquiries that the Sixers faced from the Philly media. The only concrete knowledge that we have regarding Fultz is that his TOS has been rehabilitated to the point where he feels comfortable shooting the ball again and where it will not be a serious issue in the future. There have been snippets of work-out footage which show Fultz using a reworked jumper but I do not buy this footage. Granted, the shot shown has less of a hitch than the shot he displayed as a Washington Husky but it takes a lot of time to become comfortable using a new jumper in game situations. The one takeaway from the footage is that Fultz looks comfortable and happy as a basketball player again which can only stand the Magic in good stead. Providing that Markelle makes an impact, the ceiling for the team goes up another level as they finally have an outstanding creator on their team.
It would be a victory for the Orlando front office which has struggled to fill the point guard spot for quite some time. DJ Augustin has been very solid in his role as a starter but ideally he would be a back-up on a contending team. It would also mean that Orlando would be incredibly lengthy across the board. Fultz, Isaac and Gordon are a trio of long-limbed defenders who can disrupt passing lanes and cause havoc on that end of the floor.
The Al-Farouq Aminu signing makes plenty of sense and bolsters a bench unit which was solid last season. Terrence Ross elevated the team offensively but Aminu will improve the defence hugely. The notable aspect of Aminu’s game is the ability to fill in the gaps on defence. He has great court awareness and superb defensive instincts which means that he has become incredibly good at erasing defensive breakdowns by his team-mates. In Portland, he has to play this role on numerous occasions when Lillard or McCollum were beaten in man to man situations. His timing as a help defender was a key part in terms of contesting shots and forcing the shooter into a tougher shot. Aminu adds a level of defensive intelligence which creates fluidity on that end of the floor, his team-mates do not need to worry about Aminu having an off-game defensively. Moreover, Aminu is a solid corner three shooter which means that the offence has a fairly reliable outlet when Aminu gets an open look in that spot. His game is somewhat limited as he is not able to create his own shot efficiently so he will purely be a 3&D four man for the Magic.
The Magic have not done much business in this off-season but it does seem to be looking up for them. There is expected progression from their young players which will raise the ceiling on the team and likely ensure another play-off berth. The key thing for the Magic is learning how to win in the play-offs. Steve Clifford is an outstanding coach and will make the necessary tactical adjustments come the post-season but he will need players like Isaac or Gordon to consistently execute for the Magic to get to second round of the play-offs.
