Orlando Magic: Looking Forward To The Potential Of A Dynamic Backcourt 2015-16
With a solid foundation in place, the Orlando Magic have quite a bit to look forward to in 2015-16
Since the end of the ‘Dwightmare’ era in Orlando, fans of the Magic have been going into each NBA season with a whole lot of hope, but little in terms of realistic expectations…well maybe a high lottery pick.
The organization, led by General Manager Rob Hennigan, has spent the last three years making smart basketball moves, acquiring young players and draft picks to better this team for the future; drafting guys such as Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon, whilst trading for the likes of Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris.
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The main problem that this team has had over the past few seasons is inept coaching. They have gone from having Stan Van Gundy to having Jacque Vaughn and James Borrego – I’m not saying that Vaughn and Borrego are bad coaches but they couldn’t get the best out of the players they were given. Vaughn, in particular, was given two and a half years with a steadily improving roster, yet he couldn’t get the results to match the talent level now at his disposal.
These young players are now under the tutelage of former Orlando Magic player Scott Skiles, who brings a completely different attitude than both Vaughn and Borrego. He’s more of an authoritarian, this for me is a good thing as he’ll be able to push the younger guys who may have had it slightly easier in the past.
Things are a little different this year compared to years past – the team has a new head coach, had a quietly productive free agency and managed to draft one of the best overall talents available (Mario Hezonja).
So what exactly are Orlando Magic fans looking forward to in 2015-16?
Mario Hezonja
With the 5th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic selected Croatian shooting guard Mario Hezonja. A pick which was immediately praised by Magic fans & media personnel alike. Hezonja went through the Draft process being compared to Kobe Bryant in a good way – his attitude and ‘swag’ on the court are quite similar, but Hezonja is nowhere near the prospect Bryant was.
What he is though, is the most explosive player in the ’15 Draft. He as already shown he isn’t afraid to attack the basket; during the Orlando Summer League he exploded against Oklahoma City for a one-handed slam.
As well as being an explosive player, Hezonja has proven he can shoot the ball. Whilst playing for FC Barcelona he averaged 4.7 points per game playing only 14.2 minutes per game. Although the low per game averages, Hezonja shot an impressive 38 percent from 3, proving that his game is versatile.
In one ACB Finals game he scored 18 points in only 25 minutes of play, managing to hit his first 5 3-point efforts.
Dipo And Payton Backcourt
In 2014-15, the youthful backcourt pairing of rookie Elfrid Payton and sophomore Victor Oladipo showed a lot of promise. Oladipo, in particular, looks like he could take his game to All-Star level this season. Following the all-star break this past season, he managed to elevate his game to a level that he had shown glimpses of; in just 26 games following the AS break, Oladipo improved his points, rebounds and assists.
Pre All-Star Break – 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists
Post All-Star Break – 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists
Aside from just increasing his numbers, he looked like he could be the leader on this young team, even with veterans CJ Watson and Jason Smith joining.
Even though the Orlando Magic struggled with spacing when Willie Green was playing point guard, when Elfrid Payton the spacing definitely improved. All in all, Payton looked great during his rookie campaign.
He has already shown above average court vision, whilst he lacks a reliable jump shot he’s not afraid to attack the paint. The combination between the two was dynamic and looks set to grow in the future. Magic fans should look forward to seeing this tandem for hopefully the next five years, if not more.
There are several more things to look forward to, but the majority of excitement on the part of Orlando Magic fans appears to come from the backcourt.
As it should. Magic fans should believe that their backcourt could be special, I’m inclined to agree with this. Hezonja could very well be a revelation in this league, whilst Oladipo could legitimately become an Eastern Conference All-Star. The rest of the team is uber-talented with Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, Tobias Harris, etc.
I think the Orlando Magic faithful are being overly optimistic predicting the playoffs, but I do think they’ll improve their win total and make a run at the 8th seed.