Orlando Magic Grades: Oklahoma City Thunder 73, Orlando Magic 65
The Orlando Magic got another solid performance from Aaron Gordon and saw flashes from Mario Hezonja, but fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Orlando Magic got another stellar effort from Aaron Gordon and put up some highlight-reel plays to wow the Internet and the crowd at the Amway Center practice court. However, highlights do not equal wins. And even in Summer League, there was a tinge of disappointment with how the final result came out.
The Magic fell to the Thunder 73-65 at Amway Center on Monday with both teams struggling to put the ball int he basket.
The Magic just happened to struggle a bit more, shooting only 41.3 percent and 5 for 24 from beyond the arc. Worse, they missed half of their free throws and committed 20 turnovers.
Some of that can be attributed to individual experimentation, but some of it certainly comes back to the sloppy play you expect in Summer League. It just was not pretty basketball to watch save for the highlight-reel Aaron Gordon or Mario Hezonja dunk.
Overall the Magic did a lot of things really well and gave themselves solid shooting opportunities, but could not finish and execute fully. Some of that will get fixed when there are better players on the floor. And some of that also gets fixed as the young players get more settled into their roles.
A-. <p>Aaron Gordon did something few young players do in Summer League, and in the process may have cemented some permanent additions to his game to bring to the next season. Gordon scored 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting and added 10 rebounds. It was a great way to follow up Saturday.</p><p>Again, Gordon was finding his jumpers and making them. He was confident attacking the basket and shooting in the mid range. It was a stellar performance.</p><p>Where Gordon continues to need improvement is dribbling into traffic and when he selects when to drive. He committed four turnovers and was still trying to overdribble. That seems fine at this stage because it is Summer League. It is the time to experiment just a little bit.</p>. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON
B. <p>Mario Hezonja is still getting his feet wet in the NBA, that much is clear. He is starting to find his way.</p><p>When given the opportunity to attack, Hezonja finished with authority with the highlight dunk of the week so far. He also works really well off the ball and is great at cutting using screens or on his own to try to free himself open. He certainly does not lack confidence and teams in this league are respecting his 3-point shot so far.</p><p>Where Hezonja is still improving is consistency. The jumper has not fallen yet and Hezonja is still getting used to the spacing it looks like. He consistently spots up a few feet beyond the 3-point line adding distance to an already difficult shot. When he drives, he seems still to be getting used to the physicality of NBA defenses — and the frustration of not getting calls.</p><p>Not too much to worry about at this point though. Hezonja is holding his own and is continuing to grow.</p>. G/F. Orlando Magic. MARIO HEZONJA
B-. <p>Daniel Coursey showed up solidly toward the end of the game especially for the Magic. The big man has done little in the way of stats — he had only four points and three rebounds plus five fouls — but is just a solid player on the stuff that does not show up.</p><p>He was good getting into position and setting screens and was available on pick and rolls when the ball would come to him. He has decent hands, which would help <strong><a href=. C. Orlando Magic. DANIEL COURSEY
<p>It kills me to give <strong><a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic. DREW CRAWFORD. D
13 pts.. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER. B. <p>The Oklahoma City Thunder played just as ugly as the Magic did throughout the game. They shot just 43.1 percent and made just 1 of their 12 shots. Even late in the game, it felt like the Magic might make a run like they did late in Saturday’s game to gut out a win.</p><p>No dice with the shots not falling. Credit defense from <strong><a href=. 2-0