NBA: 10 Early-Season Storylines To Keep An Eye On
By Brady Rippon
9. The Orlando Magic have too many big men!
An obvious one, but at least now there’s actual proof. This Orlando Magic team is assembled like a fantasy team desperately trying to win the weekly rebounds category. They are one persuasive phone call away from starting a center at point guard.
The Serge Ibaka trade was a strange one. The Magic parted ways with arguably their best player in Victor Oladipo and threw in a lottery pick for good measure to rent Ibaka for one year. The Bismack Biyombo signing was a classic example of a team overpaying a player for one good playoff performance. Nikola Vucevic, last year’s starting center, fits in awkwardly with these acquisitions as a ball dominant, back to the basket center.
Aaron Gordon, the Magic’s centerpiece of the future, has been shoved into the small forward spot with the new frontcourt log jam.
None of this makes sense. Gordon has grown into the perfect candidate for small-ball power forward, yet the Magic can’t find minutes for him there with a team full of power forwards and centers. New coach Frank Vogel was expected to turn the Magic into a defensive juggernaut this season with his new defensive-minded toys, but no one consistently sees the court enough to build continuity for his system.
Orlando should be proactive in moving one of their excess big men and not risk stunting Aaron Gordon’s growth.