10. Orlando Magic
Starters – Elfrid Payton, Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, Serge Ibaka, Nikola Vucevic
Bench – D.J. Augustin, C.J. Watson, Mario Hezonja, Jeff Green, Bismack Biyombo
Man are the Magic going to be fun to watch.
New head coach Frank Vogel inherits a roster full of young and athletic talent that can only improve from their poor overall record last season.
They did make some big moves in the offseason, most notably landing Serge Ibaka and replacing Oladipo with incumbent reserve (and now starter) Evan Fournier.
Other moves include signing Augustin, Jeff Green, and Biyombo; trading for Jodie Meeks, and drafting Stephen Zimmerman.
Ibaka replaces Gordon at the 4 and moves him to what Vogel describes as a point forward, something Gordon has struggled with. If the starting unit clicks, points galore are going to abound. If not, this team could be headed to the lottery yet again.
The bench got incredibly deep this offseason. I chose to place Watson at the two with Meeks recovering from foot surgery. Hezonja may actually move his way into the starting lineup if Gordon struggles, and Green would then become the backup 3 and Gordon the backup 4. Vogel has his work cut out for him, but it’s not a bad problem to have.
One of the main reasons this unit is so high is because of the impressive postseason play of Biyombo. Considered incredibly raw when he was selected by the then Charlotte Bobcats, he slowly improved during his time with His Airness’ team; but never really was able to maximize his potential.
Once Valanciunas went down, everything changed, and Biyombo erupted.
While he doesn’t have the offensive versatility that Vooch has, he does offer way more in the rebounding and shot-blocking categories. If Vooch gets moved to the bench and actually is okay with it, this team becomes unfair.
Augustin doesn’t turn the ball over much, and Watson is a strong veteran combo-guard. The two of them will be throwing plenty of oops to Hezonja, Green, and Biyombo. It’s the perfect balance of athleticism and three point shooting; and Meeks when he returns can only add to it.
Next: No. 9