Orlando Magic: The new guys vs. The old guys

The Orlando Magic remade their roster, adding veteran depth to support a young core. With so much change, we think how the new would match up with the old.

No coaches, no referees, no 3-pointers, no bright lights and no cheerleaders.

One game to 15 by 1’s. The winner determines the starting lineup for the season. Just 10 players to determine which group is better, the new guys versus the old guys.

This scenario as it plays out may not actually determine who starts, but this may be a real matchup as players begin to trickle back into Orlando during September in preparation for training camp. These informal pickup games are where chemistry begins and they start learning exactly how to play together.

It is very easy looking at the remade roster to form fair teams and pit them against each other, really helping us see whether the Magic truly became better.

The first group is the “new guys:” Bismack Biyombo, Serge Ibaka, Jeff Green, Jodie Meeks and D.J Augustin.

The second groups are the “old guys:” Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, Mario Hezonja, Evan Fournier and Elfrid Payton.

Most of these players have already played against each other during a NBA regular season. For example, Vucevic and Biyombo and Gordon and Ibaka have competed against each other on different teams before teaming up this year for Frank Vogel’s newly constructed team.

If Vogel allowed these two groups to scrimmage in practice, who would win? If the winner determined who starts for the 2017 season, who would emerge?

Entertain us as we engage in this fun thought experiment to figure out exactly what the Magic have in what returns and what has been added to this roster.

Next: The center matchup