The Orlando Magic should stay away from DeMar DeRozan because their biggest flaw is 3-point shooting, and he won’t solve that issue
American author Gini Graham Scott once said, “as they say, you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole. If your boss is like that round hole and you are that square peg, you aren’t going to fit in unless you re-shape your edges.” The Orlando Magic should follow Scott s advice in light of the report of Kevin O’Connor from The Ringer that the team has inquired about trading for DeMar DeRozan as they look for scoring help.
One can argue that DeMar DeRozan doesn’t have the skill-set to fix the Orlando Magic’s offensive problems. DeRozan is a player who does most of his offensive damage a ball handler in the pick and roll.
DeRozan has averaged 8.52 points per game on 8.8 possessions over the last four-plus seasons. The 8.52 points accounted for 36.1 percent of his total scoring output as he averaged 23.6 points during this timeframe.
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Unfortunately, DeMar DeRozan’s pick and roll expertise aren’t going to solve Orlando’s offensive issues as they are currently struggling to make 3-pointers. Orlando currently ranks 27th in 3-pointers made per game averaging 9.7 through 19 games this season. The 9.7 3’s have created 29.1 points per game for the team in the 19 outings of the season.
This is a decrease of 1.2 3-pointers made as they converted 10.8 per game through the first 19 games of last season for 32.4 points. Consequently, Orlando is producing 2.3 fewer points from behind the arc this season.
The 2.3 points have played a significant role in reduced scoring output for Orlando as they are averaging 101 points which are 4.5 fewer from the first 19 games of last season.
As a consequence, Orlando should aim to acquire a player who can convert the 3-pointer consistently. Unfortunately, the biggest flaw in DeRozan’s game is his inability to make 3’s as he has shot 1.8 per game over the last four-plus seasons. He has only converted 29.5 percent of those attempts.
His inability to make three’s allows defenders to leave him open when he is off the ball. A prime example of this can be found early in the first quarter of a San Antonio Spurs home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
DeRozan stood in-between the right-wing and corner in the role of a bystander as Bryn Forbes and LaMarcus Aldridge were in the process of completing a dribble handoff. Consequently his defender, Andrew Wiggins spent the whole possession near the elbow ready to provide help defense if necessary.
If the Magic acquire DeMar DeRozan, they would have to deal with a constant help defender when he is off the ball. For instance, when head coach Steve Clifford calls for a Nikola Vucevic post up, DeRozan’s defender can assist on a potential double team.
A double team forces Vuc to choose between taking a heavily contested field goal or passing the ball to DeRozan for a low percentage 3-pointer. Vuc would be in a no-win situation as both scenarios should most likely produce a bad outcome for the team.
As a consequence, the presence of DeMar DeRozan is going to significantly increase the amount of heavily contested field goal for Orlando. Unfortunately, the Magic already ranks 7th in heavily contested shot attempts averaging 9.8 per game.
Therefore, Orlando would be better off trying to acquire players like D’Angelo Russell, Robert Covington, Wayne Ellington, and Zach LaVine as they all shoot more than four attempts per game. Not only that, they make at least 35 percent of their attempts.
Acquiring a shooter forces the defender to choose between helping or staying close to their assignment. If the defender helps, the player posting up can pass it to the shooter for an open shot. On the other hand, if the defender stays close, it increases the likelihood of single coverage in the post.
Consequently, a shooter would allow Orlando to take easier field goal attempts on every possession. In conclusion, adding a shooter world be more beneficial for the Orlando Magic offense than acquiring DeMar DeRozan as the NBA Trade Deadline approaches.